Elephant Apple

The elephant apple (wood apple) is a tropical acidic fruit native to Southeast Asia, the fruit is eaten in both ripe and unripe stages.

The elephant apple is an acquired taste, it has an odor that some people find offensive.Fruits smell a bit like onions.

The elephant apple tree grows up to 25 feet (7.5 meters) tall, in tropical and subtropical regions, and it can also be found at relatively high elevations.

It is a dense tree that prefers full sun or very light shade and has dark green, toothed, leathery leaves. The elephant apple tree has a core of a few branches reaching up and long drooping branches returning to the earth. The bark is scaly and spined.

The flowers of the tree are white to pale red in color and have a distinctive odor that many find very pleasant.

The fruit of the elephant apple tree is enclosed in a hard husk, which must be cracked to get at the fruit. This can be accomplished by hurling the fruit at a hard surface or by using a hammer to crack the husk open. The elephant apple itself is brown and mealy, with astringent and resinous notes. It also has a strong smell, along with numerous small seeds.

Elephant Apple Flower

Growing Environment:

Trees grow well in humid, warm climates. Grow in full sun. Water regularly.

Propagation:

By seeds and cuttings.

Culture:

• Full sun / light shade, moist soil, pH 5.5 - 7.0.
• Elephant apple tree can be used as an ornamental tree.
• Protect from frost or plant in frost free areas.

Uses:

The wood of the elephant apple is very hard and prized for construction applications in which durable wood is needed. During the rainy season, the tree exudes a gum that is used in some parts of the world to replace gum arabic, and it appears in watercolors, inks, varnish, and other applications in which gum arabic might normally be used.

Products of the elephant apple tree are also used in some traditional Indian medicine, and the plant is said to be soothing to the digestion.