Ketembilla, Ceylon gooseberry
kei apple/unkokolo (Africa), unkolo (Philippines)
(Dovyalis hebecarpa — Family Flacourtiaceae)
Ketembilla is the fruit of a small shrub native to Sri Lanka.
Some varieties resemble a deep purple cherry covered with fine hairs. Others are a soft, golden yellow when ripe and bear a resemblance to the apricot.
The flavour is very acidic and makes very good jams.
It is now cultivated in a few other tropical countries, including the Philippines, Hawaii, California, and Florida. A related African species, D. caffra, has occurred wild and in cultivated forms in Southwest Africa near the Kei River. It was introduced to the Mediterranean region and grown in the Philippines under the abbreviated name of ‘umkolo’.
