List of Durio species

Among the thirty known species of Durio, so far nine species have been identified to produce edible fruits. However, there are many species for which the fruit has never been collected or properly described and it is likely that other species with edible fruit exist.^[1] The currently known nine species of edible durians are:

• Durio zibethinus.
• Durio dulcis
• Durio grandiflorus
• Durio graveolens, known as durian burung, durian kuning, durian merah, durian otak udang galah, tabelak or red-fleshed durian. It is a large tree up to 50 m (160 ft) tall. The husk of its fruit is orange-yellow, covered with pyramidal 1 cm (0.4 in) long spines. The fruit has sweet crimson-coloured flesh and a fragrance of roasted almonds. D. graveolens resembles D. dulcis but its fruit opens while it is still on the tree and has dark red flesh, whereas the fruit of D. dulcis drops unopened and has dark yellow flesh. Durian suluk, also known as durian siunggong, is a natural hybrid between D. zibethinus and D. graveolens, and retains the flavour and texture of D. zibethinus with subtle burnt caramel overtones of D. graveolens. Durian simpor is a mild-flavoured, yellow-fleshed variant of D. graveolens.
• Durio kutejensis
• Durio lowianus, known as durian duan. It is a large tree up to 50 metre tall, has red flowers and elongated. Its oval-shaped fruit contains yellow flesh.
• Durio macrantha.
• Durio oxleyanus, known as durian sukang, durian beludu, isu or kerontangan. It is a fairly large tree up to 40 m (130 ft) tall. It produces small, round, greyish-green fruits with large, stiff, broadly pyramidal, slightly curved spines. The flesh is yellow, smooth-textured and sweet.
• Durio testudinarum, known as the tortoise or kura-kura durian. It is a medium-sized tree up to 25 m (82 ft) tall. Being a self-pollinated species, it is less variable, and has an extended flowering season. The flesh of its fruit is pale yellow and has a stronger aroma than other species of Durio.

The other species, which haven't been identified to produce edible fruits are:

• Durio acutifolius (Mast.) Kosterm.: distributed in Kalimantan and Sabah.
• Durio affinis (Becc.): distributed in West Kalimantan and Sabah.
• Durio beccarianus (Kosterm. & Soegeng.): distributed in West Kalimantan.
• Durio bukitrayaensis (Kosterm.)
• Durio burmanicus (Soegeng.)
• Durio carinatus (Mast.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Borneo.
• Durio crassipes (Kosterm.): distributed in Tenom and Sipitang areas of Sabah.
• Durio excelsus (Korth.) Bakh.: distributed in Kalimantan.
• Durio griffithii (Mast.) Bakh.: distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra, Borneo.
• Durio kinabaluensis (Kosterm & Soegeng): distributed in Sabah.
• Durio lanceolatus (Mast.): distributed in Borneo.
• Durio lissocarpus (Mast.): distributed in Borneo.
• Durio macrolepis (Kosterm.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia.
• Durio macrophyllus (Ridl.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia.
• Durio malaccensis (Planch.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia, Sumatra. It is normally white-flowered, but some D. malaccensis with reddish flowers have been discovered in Johor State, perhaps from cross-pollination by the pink or red-flowered D. lowianus and D. pinangianus.^[2]
• Durio mansoni (Gamble) Bakh.: distributed in Myanmar.
• Durio oblongus (Mast.): distributed in Sarawak.
• Durio pinangianus (Ridl.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia (Perak, Penang).
• Durio purpureus (Kosterm. & Soegeng.): distributed in West Kalimantan.
• Durio singaporensis (Ridl.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia.
• Durio wyatt-Smithii (Kosterm.): distributed in Peninsular Malaysia (Trengganu).

Notes

1. Brown, 1997.
2. Morton.

References

• Brown, Michael J. (1997). Durio — A Bibliographic Review. International Plant Genetic Resources Institute. ISBN 92-9043-318-3.
• Morton, J. F. (1987). Fruits of Warm Climates. Florida Flair Books. ISBN 0-9610184-1-0. Full text Durian chapter