Durio Grandiflorus

Photo credit to Anthony Lamb

Of all the durian species on Borneo, I was the most excited about Durio grandiflorus, known locally as the ghost durian.  I didn’t believe that finding it would be hard, as it apparently grows all over Borneo. I was much more concerned about finding the admittedly rare Durio testudinarum and Durio dulcis. But this is the most elusive of durians. Although we searched Sabah, Sarawak, and Kalimantan, Durio grandiflorus evaded us. Not even my botany contacts have a picture. Ghost durian indeed.

Durio grandiflorus  is a medium durian with long, stiff spines. Supposedly it’s greyish-blue exterior adds to the myth of ghostliness. The flesh is yellow and purportedly edible, although one botanist I interviewed barely remembered it. He said the flavor was not strong, and the flesh was pretty thin. He kept comparing it infavorably to Durio graveolens, which apparently he likes very much.

Although we didn’t manage to find it, Durio grandiflorus occurs throughout the island of Borneo, especially near Sandakan and Miri. It can occasionally be found at markets in Brunei.

Durio grandiflorus started it’s career in the scientific world as Boschia grandiflora, the name given by Maxwell T. Masters from the comfort of his English home. Masters was the curator of an herbarium in Oxford, and had many specimens sent to him from all over the world. At some point he received a sample of a very large flower, which he notes was very similar to a durian flower. “Grandiflora” is latin for large flower.  At the time, the fruit was unknown.

It remained as a boschia until the genus was scrapped in 1958 and all the former Boschia were promoted to Durio status.

Growing Durio Grandiflorus

Back to A Complete List of Durian Species

References

• World Agro Forestry Centre
• Global Plants JSTOR
• Maxwell T. Masters
• Malesia by Odoardo Beccari
• The Genus Durio Adans by AJGH Kosterman
• Durio of Malaysia by Salma Idris