Noni, or Morinda citrifolia , comes from the Rubiaceae family which has 80 different plant species in it. Noni is a small tree or shrub that has been used in many cultures, including the Pacific Islands, for over 2,000 years. The noni plant can even grow as high as 20 feet. It has large evergreen leaves and small white flowers that sprout at different times during the year. The flowers become bumpy, pitted fruit that is several inches long. Upon ripening, the yellowish-white skin of the fruit thins and turns somewhat translucent. At this time, the flesh has an offensive odor in which some describe as rotten cheese. The fruit has numerous brown seeds with air sacs which allow the seeds to be buoyant in the water. Many attribute that to the idea that because of their buoyancy the noni fruit traveled by sea to other parts of the world. Noni is mostly found on the island terrains of the South Pacific (including Tahiti and Hawaii), Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, India, Africa, Guam, and the West Indies (Puerto Rico and the Virgin Island). The noni plant grows fruit mostly year-round.