Noni Information:

Morinda citrifolia, commonly known as Great morinda, Indian mulberry, Noni (from Hawaiian), or Aal (in Hindi), is a shrub or small tree in the Family Rubiaceae. Morinda citrifolia is native to Southeast Asia but has been extensively spread by man throughout India and into the Pacific islands as far as the Hawaiian Islands.

The plant grows in shady forests as well as on open rocky or sandy shores. It is tolerant of saline soils, drought conditions, and secondary soils. It therefore found in a wide variety of habitats:volcanic terrains, lava-strewn coasts, and clearings or limestone outcrops. The great morinda tree can grow up to 9 m tall. It has large, simple, dark green, shiny and deeply veined leaves.

The plant blooms and fruits all year round. The flowers are small and white. The fruit is a multiple fruit that has a pungent odor when ripening. It is oval and reaches 4-7 cm in size. At first green, the fruit turns yellow then almost white as it ripens. It contains many seeds. Despite its smell, the fruit is nevertheless eaten as a famine food and, in some Pacific islands, even a staple food, either raw or cooked. Southeast Asians and Australian Aborigines consume the fruit raw with salt or cook it with curry. Seeds are edible when roasted. In the United States and Canada "Noni" is marketed as a heath food item said to contain xeronine, and is usually sold at high prices as a specialty item.