Origin and Distribution
This tropical or subtropical species is found throughout Asia and also has a home in the Caribbean region, Central and South America.
While its origin is uncertain, the species may have initially sprouted in Madagascar. It was found in other parts of South Asia early; according to Eduardo Quisumbing, it was brought to the Philippines in prehistoric times. It spread across the Indian Ocean to Réunion and Mauritius and crossed the Pacific to Hawaii. It expanded to the Caribbean in 1793, when William Bligh carried the plant from Timor to Jamaica.
The tree is common in Guam, Indonesia (where it is called ceremai or cerama), South Vietnam (called chùm ruột), Laos, northern Malaya (called cerme and chermai), and India (called chalmeri and harpharoi). It is still found in the Philippines (called iba in Tagalog and karmay in Ilokano), if not widely, and in Cambodia (called kantuet) and Thailand (called mayom). In Grenada, the fruit is called a damsel. In the United States, it is found in Hawaii and occasionally the southern parts of Florida. It is seen in Ecuador, El Salvador, Mexico, Colombia, Venezuela, Surinam, Peru and Brazil.
Read more about this topic: Phyllanthus Acidus
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