How Does It Interact?

The rambutan produces a very sweet fruit that is very nutritious for any organism that eats it. The most common animal consumer of the fruit is the orangutan. The orangutan's main habitat is the island of Sumatra, which is the prime location to find thriving rambutan trees. As mentioned on the Reproduction page, when the orangutan eats the rambutan, it ultimately disperses the seed to an entirely new location in the forest. This helps produce more rambutan trees all over the forest. Without the orangutan, the rambutan would have no way of spreading its seeds, therefore no chance of producing more trees. If you would like to learn more about the Orangutan, click here.

The rambutan also interacts with various insects. Insects such as butterflies, bees, and simple flies are what drive the pollination of Nephelium lappaceum’s flowers. Without this pollination, the flowers wouldn’t have a way to reproduce, and in turn, would not be able to produce fruit. If you would like to learn more about a particular type of bee, the Rusty-Patched Bumble Bee, click here. Also if you would like to learn more about the Common Green Bottle Fly, click here.

Humans are another main interaction source with Nephelium lappaceum. Not only do we eat them raw or through jams, but we also use them for medicinal purposes as well as for decoration. If you would like to learn more about the Pumpkin, another plant used as decoration, click here.

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