Fruit | Morten Ross

Archive for 'Fruit'

Tetrastigma rumicispermum

Tetrastigma rumicispermum is found in Sikkim’s tropical to temperate biomes to 2500 meters elevation. Elevation: 1936 meters. Native range is Nepal to China and Peninsular Malaysia.

Giant Himalayan Lily (Cardiocrinum giganteum)

The Giant Himalayan Lily is found in Sikkim’s subtropical to temperate biomes to around 3700 meters elevation. Elevation: 2775 meters. Native range is Himalaya to Central China and Myanmar.

Himalayan Strawberry (Fragaria nubicola)

Himalayan Strawberry is found in Sikkim’s subtropical to alpine biomes to 4300 meters elevation. Elevation: 3636 meters. Native range is Afghanistan to Tibet and North India>.

Fragaria daltoniana

Fragaria daltoniana is found in Sikkim’s temperate biome to 3800 meters elevation. Elevation: 3198 meters. Native range is Himalaya to Tibet and North Myanmar.

Gaultheria trichophylla

Gaultheria trichophylla is found in Sikkim’s temperate to alpine biomes up to 5000 meters elevation. Elevation: 3198 meters. Native range is North Pakistan to South-Central China and North Myanmar.

Sjølitjernet i Skogbygda er omkranset av myr og sumpaktig landskap der mange myrbundne arter som myrvieren trives. Hele bestanden av myrvier er sterkt preget av elgens beiting gjennom flere år. Naturlig utbredelse i subantaktisk og temperert nordlige halvkule.

Socotran Pomegranate (Punica protopunica)

A vibrant, healthy and quite tall Punica protopunica, found next to the walls of the north east of Socotra. These vertical cliffs provide shade and moisture for much longer than the exposed part of Socotra, and thus the species that grow here, next to the wall, are very healthy. Endemic.

Geranium biuncinatum

The vertical cliffs of the north-east Socotra are home to many plant species that thrive in the protective shadow of the tall cliffs, which also provide water seeping out of cracks long after the winter rains. During my visit I walked in a field of flowers tall and vital from all the winter rains, which […]

Jimsonweed (Datura stramonium)

An invasive species, introduced by humans. Native range is Texas to Central America, Caribbean.

Christ’s Thorn Jujube (Ziziphus spina-christi)

A very popular fruit with Socotris. I have yet to taste one, as these lovely fruits were out of reach for me to pick. Native range is Africa, Arabia to Pakistan.

Socotran Desert Rose (Adenium obesum ssp. socotranum)

The unmistakable fruit of the Socotran desert rose. I encountered plenty of fruits during this visit to Socotra, but only 2-3 with open follicles and dispersing the seeds.

Namaqua Fig (Ficus cordata)

A large and mature specimen with signs of past droughts as many branches were dead. This is a species found in drier areas in Socotra, on cliffs along valleys and canyons near water. Also found in countries in western-southwestern Africa and Arabia. Elevation: 479 meters.

Euphorbia schimperi

A common species in shrubland and seen in all stages of growth depending on the the location. Here it is blooming and is active, whilst in another location nearby you might encounter one that is dormant and waiting for the trigger to grow flowers. This is at 676 meter elevation. Native range is Eritrea, Ethiopia, […]

Cissus hamaderohensis

This mature specimen is using a croton socotranus as support to reach high above ground. It’s easily identified by the rectangular stem. This individual both fruiting and blooming. Endemic. Elevation 678 meters.

Euphorbia socotrana

A beautiful specimen, vibrant with life and energy due to sufficient moisture this winter. It is endemic, which means it grows nowhere else on Earth. This is at 900 meter elevation. Endemic.

Teiebær | Stone bramble (Rubus saxatilis)

This intensely colored fruit should be easy to see on the forest floor but is quite hard to find as it is mostly hidden under the leaves of the plant. Furthermore each plant holds very few fruits, and some just one drupe as seen here. A fully formed fruit would hold many drupes and resemble […]

Enghumleblom | Water avens (Geum rivale)

This is one of countless ways of nature that humans have copied and companies have copyrighted as their own invention and sold as things we cannot live without. For this particular function, I think all of us has one or more objects with this in their home. It is such an ingenious way to ensure […]

Blodstorkenebb | Bloody crane’s-bill (Geranium sanguineum)

This long fruit is how this species got its name. Perhaps not so obvious at this stage as it is more hairy than bloody, but as it matures the red hues will appear and the hairs become less prominent. In fact this species has the most amazing colors in its foliage as it prepares for […]

Stankstorkenebb | Herb Robert (Geranium robertianum)

Summer is well underway now, and thus many plant species are producing fruits, and in this case a very artistic one at that. When ripe these amazing looking bills will open up to what looks like a dry flower with seeds in each section, or petal if you like. The glandular hairs seen here are […]

Thamnosma socotrana

A most peculiar plant! I only found this plant with fresh flowers, but unfortunately not with open flowers yet. I found it in very steep terrain close to the top of Skand (Skand). Here the goats seemed to have been unable to destroy the vegetation, so it was exceptionally dense and varied.

Socotra bottle tree (Adenium obesum ssp. socotranum)

Many species of plants on Socotra have evolved seed pods like this, and I don’t know why this is a design preferable here, as the content is dispersed by wind in any case.

Caralluma socotrana

During my 14 day stay on Socotra I only found this plant with a seed pod. And in what an exquisite state! The pod has just opened, and the seeds are yet to be dispersed by the wind. Timing is everything, but I think luck is a great part as well.

Trachyspermum pimpinelloides

The specimens I found close to the beach were small and early in their development, except this one where the seeds were developing.

Cucumis prophetarum

I don’t know the color of the ripe fruit, but this one was swollen and seemed to be nearing it’s final stages for seed dispersal. The early stage of the fruit.

Cryptolepis socotrana

I found this species only in this location during my two week stay on Socotra. It grows in a crack in the rock face of the Kalesan gorge – out of reach for the goats and thus protected. But come the annual monsoons and it will be in a torrent of water and debris grinding […]

Phyllanthus maderaspatensis

I found this species on dry riverbeds.

Aloe perryi

A very healthy and vibrant group of aloe perryi, a sign of excellent conditions here. Most other specimens I encountered were well past blossom, and also did not have any seeds. Here I found both vibrant inflorescences and these mature seed pods. Endemic.

Euphorbia arbuscula

The mature specimens are gorgeous trees that provide shade from the scorching sun, as the dense crown has no leaves to shed. The tree bleeds a white substance when cut. As with many other endemic species on Socotra, this one survives the hardest of droughts, and even blossoms in the dry season. I visited during […]

Indigofera nephrocarpa

A comma-shaped and hairy seed pod.

Pergularia tomentosa

Very distinct seed pods! In fact everything about this plant is unmistakable – there is no need for flowers, or even seedpods to identify it.

Capparis cartilaginea

The characteristic fruit of the Capparis cartilaginea, likely eaten by the many goats if found. The morning shade from the steep cliff at the northern end of Shuab beach of socotra provides great opportunities for many plant species. I found this specimen leaning against a rock close to the sea, but others thrive in cracks […]

Senna holosericea

Quite common on lower levels, and here around the Detwah lagoon I found it widespread around the campground. Goats leave these, and most of the pea family alone, so I found them in bloom and with fruit, despite lots of goats in this nature reserve.

Withania riebeckii

Fruit turns red when ripe. Endemic.

Jatropha unicostata

A very common tree in lower levels of Socotra which in places make widespread forests. On my trip I found these trees in full bloom here along the Detwah lagoon, whilst on other sides of the island the trees were with yellow leaves like autumn, and yet other areas completely without leaves or flowers. The […]

Cissus subaphylla

I found none is bloom, only fruits not ripe yet.

Leonia crassa

This is a very peculiar tree – full of fruits growing from the trunk, not the tip of the branches. I only encountered this tree, which stands in the garden of the Amazon Research and Conservation Center (ARCC).

ARCC plant 02

Fruit on a vine in the gloom of the forest floor in the forest of the Amazon Research and Conservation Center. Please help me identify it – leave a comment 🙂

Passiflora mansoi

Native range is central Brazil.

Pekea Nut (Caryocar brasiliense)

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species, and I was like a kid in a candy store! This is one of the tallest of the trees here, and during my visit they were all in fruit. Popular names: Pequi or souari nut. Native range is Bolivia, […]

Passiflora mansoi

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species! Many of the fruits are edible and even very sweet, including Passifloras. Native range is central Brazil.

Passiflora sp

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species! Please help me identify it – leave a comment.

Dalechampia occidentalis

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species! Native range is Bolivia and Brazil.

Ouratea spectabilis

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species! A very strange shape I think, and I wonder what has driven it to these shapes, and in particular the color inside! If you squeeze the fruit, or simply pass a ripe one, it will bleed an ink-like substance. […]

Chapada dos Guimaraes plant 07

The protected areas of Chapada dos Guimaraes National Park is a treasure trove of plant species! Please help me identify it – leave a comment.

Justicia laevilinguis

This is a species I found sporadically in the fields around SouthWild Pantanal. Native range is Mexico, Trinidad to south tropical America.

Pantanal plant 48 (Chamaecrista sp)

I encountered many species in the Fabaceae family in Pantanal, perhaps more than any other place I’ve visited, and the land around SouthWild Pantanal was rich with flowering plants.

Stinking passionflower (Passiflora foetida)

Very similar to the species found in the Galapagos islands – Stinking passionflower (Passiflora foetida) The resin is impossible for leaf eating insects to traverse, or at least so unpleasant the insect will turn back. This is an efficient pesticide, but when the flower has opened, it is free of such defenses, and can thus […]

Red Buffalo-Bur (Solanum sisymbriifolium)

Looks edible and tempting – supposedly tasting like cherry. This plant was growing on the side of Cuiaba river – very close to the water, and will likely be submerge in the coming weeks. Also called Fire-and-Ice plant, Litchi Tomato, or Morelle de Balbis. Native range is tropical South America.

Galium humile

This is the second species of galium I encountered on the plateau of Itatiaia National Park and it was also in fruit, opposed to the other species. Altitude: 2460 metres. Native range is southeastern South America.

Berberis glazioviana

Altitude: 2460 metres. Native range is southeastern Brazil.

Solanum palinacanthum

Native range is Bolivia, Brazil to Argentina.

Pantanal plant 26 (Indigofera)

The soil on this part of Pantanal (between Corumbá and Miranda) is in many places fine sand – just like a desert or a beach. Just after a couple of hundred metres on the private road leading to Pousada Xaraés you’ll encounter the deep sand – only passable by large trucks and 4x4s. It was […]

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris)

The fruit of the Acuri palm (Attalea phalerata) is important food for a number of Pantanal bird and mammal species, and here one adult capybara of a family of several youngsters enjoys the ripe (yellow) fruits. It appears the husk is what they prefer, as none of the nuts were cracked open. The capybara should […]

Indigofera sabulicola

Native range is America and Africa.

Stingray Vine (Cissus spinosa)

The soil on this part of Pantanal (between Corumbá and Miranda) is in many places fine sand – just like a desert or a beach. This species was climbing on the vegetation bordering the forested islands, and sometimes also the fences of Pousada Xaraés. It also grows alongside rivers, and sometimes grows to dense carpets […]

Centrosema brasilianum

This species is found in the edges of the grassland in the thickets surrounding the forest islands. It’s a large plant, and forming bark on older growth. Native range is Panama to Argentina.

Acuri palm (Attalea phalerata)

These nuts are irresistible to the cattle as well as the hyacinth macaws. The cattle like the husk surrounding the nut, and their digestive system is unable to process the hard shell and passes undamaged through it all and end up on the ground where the hyacinth macaws pick them up and crack them open […]

Barbados Lily (Hippeastrum puniceum)

There are many islands densely forested in this part of Pantanal and with a different flora than that of the fields flooded in the rainy season. They are just 2-3 metres higher than the surrounding fields and during the dry season they don’t appear to be islands other than of a different kind of vegetation. […]

Adesmia polyphylla

Grows on the slopes of the Cerro Tunupa. Altitude: 3989 metres. Native range is Bolivia and Chile.

Baccharis tola

A few weeks earlier and I would have seen all this as flowers – a beautiful sight I imagine. This species seems abundant here, and is undoubtedly able to spread far and wide with the wind. The amount of seeds per plant is staggering, and sometimes so many are released that it looks like smoke […]

Maihueniopsis molfinoi

When the flower is gone, the remaining part is well protected from being reached, so what species is the fruit aimed at? Only insects and small rodents will reach the fruit unharmed, so perhaps that’s it? Altitude: 4004 metres. Native range is Bolivia and Argentina.

Yanacocha plant 08 (Geranium sp)

Altitude 3400 metres.

Yanacocha thistle (Cirsium sp)

Altitude 3400 metres.

Wild cocoa (Herrania mariae)

The fruit starts off in an upright position, and as it matures, and the weight increases, gravity will eventually win and drag it to a hanging position. This tree had no mature fruits – perhaps someone had picked them for personal consumption?

Wild mango (Grias neuberthii)

I wonder what this wild mango fruit tastes like compared to the cultivated varieties. I for one am certain the fruit and the tree itself contains properties one could only dream of in the cultivated ones. Unfortunately I don’t speak Spanish, so I was unable to ask the Añangu people what they use it for.

Galápagos bitterbush (Castela galapageia)

Endemic to Galapagos.

White mangrove (Laguncularia racemosa)

Native range is subtropical and tropical America, west tropical Africa to Angola.

Galápagos passion flower (Passiflora vesicaria galapagensis)

The sticky petals will make a very unpleasant trip for any insects wanting to eat or lay eggs on the ripening fruit. Endemic to Galapagos.

Desmodium campyloclados

Altitude 2112 metres. Native range is Nicaragua to Venezuela and Bolivia.

Solanum quitoense

The fruit is edible and I have had many naranjilla smoothies in Ecuador – one of my favourites! Altitude 2111 metres. Native range is Costa Rica to Venezuela to Peru.

Clusia sp

A fruit that looks like a flower! I wonder what the flowers look like and what creatures are dispersing the small seeds. There is little food for larger animals like birds, but perhaps this is for the ants? Altitude 2070 metres. Please help me identify it – leave a comment!

Guango Lodge plant 01

Altitude 2700 metres. Please help me identify it – leave a comment!

Shanshi (Coriaria ruscifolia ssp. microphylla)

Grows widespread in high altitudes, and I saw it in all stages from pre-bloom to ripe fruits like here. Looks like licorice, but don’t be fooled! The berries are toxic to cattle and hallucinogenic to humans. Supposedly one of the experiences is the feeling of flying or floating! Better stay firmly on the ground then, […]

Red Angel’s Trumpet (Brugmansia sanguinea)

Looks like a wild mango, but it’s far from it! Altitude 3083 metres. It is found in western South America to northern Chile.

Hesperomeles obtusifolia var. microphylla

Altitude 3720 metres. Its native range is Bolivia to Colombia.

Tristerix longibracteatus

Altitude 3720 metres. Its native range is Colombia to Peru.

Monnina crassifolia

Altitude 3720 metres. Native range is Colombia to Peru.

Nertera granadensis

Common and easy to find when bearing fruits. Altitude 3450 metres. Native range is very wide.

Gaultheria myrsinoides

One of very few purple fruits. Altitude 3450 metres. Native range is Mexico to northwestern Argentina.

Aetanthus nodosus

Looks edible and tempting – but are they? First of all red here is not ripe – black is! Should I trust black berries from a plant that is parasitic? Then again a parasite might offer chemicals not much different than that of the host. Altitude 3450 metres. Native range is Colombia to Peru.

Cleome anomala

Altitude 3083 metres. Native range is Ecuador to Venezuela.

Yanacocha plant 07 (Lobelioideae)

Yanacocha plant 06 (Neobartsia)

Yanacocha plant 01 (Rubus sp)

This is a small raspberry-like plant at 3500 meter elevation in the Yanacocha reserve just northwest of Quito. Not yet ripe, so I didn’t pick to taste. Wonder what it tastes like when it’s soft and ripe?

Passiflora angusta

Not only was this plant in bloom, but it was also growing fruit. What color is it when ripe? Native range is the Guyana Shield.

Crepinella umbellata

Perhaps the only plant on Roraima that grows to the size of a tree. It’s host to a variety of vegetation and perhaps the most conspicuous is the epiphytic bromeliad Tillandsii turneri. Some rugosums are so overgrown with moss and lichen that the girth of the trunk and branches seems hugely oversized. I wonder who […]