About the Jujube you are referring to, you are right. in some parts of the country jujube is sometimes called mansinitas because they resmble small apples. But aratiles are also called mansanitas in some parts. Jujube, by the way is called Butulan in batangas due to its hard solitary stone inside. It is also called as Chinese dates for the resemblnce to dates when fully ripe, as they are picked in china when they are already wrinkled. In Batngas though, children prefer to eat them when they a little bit crisp and slightly red or orange.

The fruit comes from a medium sized shrub of about 5 to 8 meters in height. Very seldome have I seen trees of the fruit reaching more than that height. It is fairly common in the provinces where there is abundant rainfall. In Bicol from where my father came from, it is called seriales.

In Lipa and Cuenca Batangas the fruit is called Cherry and can be bought along the zigzagging road of Cuenca when it is in season. It is usually sold pickled in salt and water. When ripe its color ranges from deep brown to brownish purple. It is sweet and has a tarty taste when not fully ripe.

When we were children we will mash the fruit to remove the “mapakla” taste. Normally, the fruit is no bigger than a jackstone ball.

On the other hand, the fruit being referred to as mansanitas is what is called in Bicol as Datiles or Aratiles here in manila. This is an entiely different fruit resembling miniature apples, which small birds adore. mansanitas are small spherical fruits containing hundreds of seeds just a little bit bigger than the period at the end of this sentence. The fruit itself is smaller than a cherry tomato.

The kalumpit however is totally different from the Seriwel. kalumpit trees reach heights of upto 100 feet. The fruit is very similar to a plum in color and appearance except for its size. Kalumpit fruits ranges in size from about the size of an average pinky finger nail to a thumb nail. Hybrid varieties are bigger and may be the size of hersheys football shaped chocolates.

I have been to many places in the Philippines and I have asked about the Kalumpit but it seems that the fruit is relatively unknown outside of Batangas except of course for the Town of Kalumpit in Bulacan. (those who know of the kalumpit growing and bearing fruit outside of Batangas, please let me know)

The kalumpit bears fruit during summer and is picked by shaking the tree to make the ripe fruits fall to the ground. It has a sweet, sour and tangy taste due to the high tannin content. It is an excellent fruit for making wine and vinegar. In Batangas it is usually eaten fresh or as preserves, which taste better as it ages. The fruit has a single and hairy stone with no known use. If you are not careful in eating the fruit, the stone can cut your palate.

You will know when it is flowering season of the Calumpit as the air is usually saturated in the afternoon with a fowl odor comparable to the smell of rotten earwax (luga). This, I think is to attract insects to aid it in pollination.

For those who are interested to taste Calumpit during its off season, you can buy bottled preserves in the markets of Tuy, Balayan, Calaca, Nasugbu, Lian, Calatagan and somtimes even in Tagaytay.

This is just my one cent opinion, I hope that it was able to help. I love fruits and I am an amateur farmer and have made some informal studies about Philippine fruits.

For those who have hybrid Jujube seedlings for sale, I would greatly appreciate if you could PM me.

Thanks.