| The family Bombacaceae is best known for showy flowers and woody or thin-shelled pods filled with small seeds and silky or cottonlike fiber. The durian, Durio zibethinus L., is one member that differs radically in having large seeds surrounded by fleshy arils. Apart from variants of the word "durian" in native dialects, there are few other vernacular names, though the notorious odor has given rise to the unflattering terms, "civet cat tree", and "civet fruit" in India and "stinkvrucht " in Dutch. Nevertheless the durian is the most important native fruit of southeastern Asia and neighboring islands. The durian tree, reaching 90 to 130 ft (27-40 m) in height in tropical forests, is usually erect with short, straight, rough, peeling trunk to 4 ft (1.2 m) in diameter, and irregular dense or open crown of rough branches, and thin branchlets coated with coppery or gray scales | |
The fruits are ovoid or ovoid-oblong to nearly round, 6 to 12 in (15-30
cm) long, 5 to 6 in (12.5-15 cm) wide, and up to 18 lbs (8 kg) in weight.
The yellow or yellowish-green rind is thick, tough, semi-woody, and densely
set with stout, sharply pointed spines, 3- to 7-sided at the base. Handling
without gloves can be painful. Inside there are 5 compartments containing
the creamy-white, yellowish, pinkish or orange-colored flesh and 1 to 7
chestnut-like seeds, 3/4 to 2 1/4 in (2-6 cm) long with glossy, red-brown
seedcoat. In the best fruits, most seeds are abortive. There are some odorless
cultivars but the flesh of the common durian has a powerful odor which
reminded the plant explorer, Otis W. Barrett, of combined cheese, decayed
onion and turpentine, or "garlic, Limburger cheese and some spicy sort
of resin" but he said that after eating a bit of the pulp "the odor is
scarcely noticed." The nature of the flesh is more complex-in the words
of Alfred Russel Wallace (much-quoted), it is "a rich
custard highly flavored with almonds . . . but there are occasional
wafts of flavour that call to mind cream cheese, onion-sauce,
sherry wine and other incongruous dishes. Then there is a rich glutinous
smoothness in the pulp which nothing else possesses,
but which adds to its delicacy. It is neither acid, nor sweet, nor
juicy; yet it wants none of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect.
It produces no nausea or other bad effect, and the more you eat of it the
less you feel inclined to stop." (The Treasury of
Botany, Vol. 1, p. 435). Barrett described the flavor as "triplex in
effect, first a strong aromatic taste, followed by a delicious
sweet flavor, then a strange resinous or balsam-like taste of exquisite
but persistent savor." An American chemist working at the U.S. Rubber Plantations
in Sumatra in modem times, was at first reluctant to try eating durian,
was finally persuaded and
became enthusiastic, declaring it to be "absolutely delicious", something
like "a concoction of ice cream, onions, spices, and
bananas, all mixed together."
The durian is believed to be native to Borneo and Sumatra. It is found
wild or semi-wild in South Tenasserim, Lower Burma,
and around villages in peninsular Malaya, and is commonly cultivated
along roads or in orchards from southeastern India and
Ceylon to New Guinea. Four hundred years ago, there was a lively trade
in durians between Lower Burma to Upper Burma
where they were prized in the Royal Palace. Thailand and South Vietnam
are important producers of durians. The Association
of Durian Growers and Sellers was formed in 1959 to standardize quality
and marketing practices. The durian is grown to a
limited extent in the southern Philippines, particularly in the Provinces
of Mindanao and Sulu. The tree grows splendidly but
generally produces few fruits in the Visayas Islands and on the island
of Luzon. There are many bearing trees in Zanzibar, a few in Pemba and
Hawaii. The durian is not included in the latest Flora of Guam (1970) which
covers both indigenous and exotic
species. It has been introduced into New Guinea, Tahiti, and Ponape.
Durian seeds lose viability quickly, especially if exposed even briefly
to sunlight. Even in cool storage they can be kept only 7
days. Viability can be maintained for as long as 32 days if the seeds
are surface-sterilized and placed in air-tight containers and
held at 68º F (20º C). They have been successfully
shipped to tropical America packed in a barely moist mixture of coconut
husk fiber and charcoal. Ideally, they should be planted fresh, flat-side
down, and they will then germinate in 3 to 8 days. Seeds washed, dried
for 1 or 2 days and planted have shown 77-80% germination. It is reported
that, in some countries, seedling durian trees have borne fruit at 5 years
of age. In India, generally, they come into bearing 9 to 12 years after
planting, but in South India they will not produce fruit until they are
13 to 21 years old. In Malaya, seedlings will bloom in 7 years; grafted
trees in 4 years or earlier. Neither air-layers nor cuttings will
root satisfactorily. Inarching can be accomplished with 50% success but
is not a popular method because the grafts must be left on the trees for
many months. Selected cultivars are propagated by patch-budding (a modified
Forkert method) onto rootstocks 2 months old and pencil-thick, and the
union should be permanent within 25 to 30 days. The plants can be set out
in the field within 14 to 16 months. Grafted trees never grow as tall as
seedlings; they are usually between 26 to 32 ft (8-10 m) tall; rarely 40
ft (12 m).