mango lalijiwa / Mangifera Lalijiwa, The Sweet Endemic of Java. Lalijiwa or lalijiwo, is a species of mango endemic to Java. The Latin name for this plant is Mangifera lalijiwa. In English mango lalijiwa is called ‘laleejewo’. The name lalijiwa itself comes from the word ‘lali’ which means ‘forget’ and jiwo or soul. It is said that the sweet and delicious taste will make anyone who eats it forget themselves. This mango is native to Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands, and is now thought to be threatened by habitat loss. This mango is known as Lalijiwa, Talijiwo, Pelem savory (Jw.), Poh Gedang (Bl.), Paok Batu (Sas.), and Pao Taber (Mad.)
The lalijiwa mango tree is like a mango tree in general. The tree is about 8 meters high with a tree canopy reaching a diameter of 9 meters. Dark green leaves are oval in shape with a tapered tip and base. The length of the leaves is around 20 cm. Panicle-shaped flowers 24 cm long and yellowish. Kasturi mango fruit is round, slightly oval in shape. The fruit is about 7 cm long and weighs 200 grams.
The color of the fruit skin when ripe is dark green with greenish-white gland spots which turn black when old. The flesh is dark yellow when ripe. Not too much fruit water. The smell of fruit is not too fragrant. However, the taste of the fruit is actually very sweet. Even when it’s still young, the taste of the fruit flesh is not too sour. The lalijiwa mango tree is a plant endemic to Java.
Areas known for having many mango trees of this type are the area around Semarang to Yogyakarta, the Probolinggo area (East Java), and Indramayu (West Java). Unfortunately lalijiwa mango trees are suspected to be getting rare in their natural habitat. IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources) put it on the Red List (Red List). The status it gives is Data Deficient. So, if you really want to forget the mainland, there’s nothing wrong with trying to eat this Java Endemic Sweet.
Scientific Classification. Kingdom: Plantae. Phylum: Tracheophyta. Class: Magnoliopsida. Order: Sapindales. Family: Anacardiaceae. Genus: Mangifera. Species: Mangifera lalijiwa (Kosterm)
