I think Giby got it right! The description matches well with the fruit of Asian palmyra palm (Tamil name: Panai maram).
It is the 'state tree of Tamil Nadu' and every part of it is used, for various purposes. According to an ancient Tamil literature, the tree has 801 uses in all. Nongu or Nungu is the nutritious endosperm which is edible, cool and sweet, like that of coconut. It is usually available during peak summer. Regards Vijayasankar Raman National Center for Natural Products Research University of Mississippi On Sun, Jan 29, 2012 at 12:59 PM, Giby Kuriakose <[email protected]>wrote: > I think you are mentioning about *Borassus flabellifer *. If so, it is > 'Nongu'. > May be Kottaimuthu, Rathinasaphapathy or Vijay can confirm it. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Borassus_flabellifer > > > Regards > Giby > > > > > On 30 January 2012 00:11, Dev Kumar <[email protected]> wrote: > >> No photograph. Just text. From an email sent by a friend - >> >> "*what can you tell me about this fruit (name included - `noong' came >> into my mind, but I could be horribly wrong) sold in South India, >> purple/dark blue skin, white flesh, very juicy, used to quench thirst - >> resembles mangosteen, probably a relative? Possibly related to lychees >> also? I remember one long family trip to the South, this endless bus ride, >> halt at Dindigul and these fruits being sold, my father repeatedly asking >> if I wanted to try some and my outright refusal because I had Gold Spot and >> Limca and Mangola and assorted Sharbats on my mind. Have looked up >> Wikipedia several times, but hard if you have no name for said item."* >> ** >> Am sure at least one of our members will get the name. >> >> Regards >> Dev >> > > > > -- > GIBY KURIAKOSE PhD > Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), > Royal Enclave, > Jakkur Post, Srirampura > Bangalore- 560064 > India > Phone - +91 9448714856 (Mobile) > visit my pictures @ http://www.flickr.com/photos/giby >
