star apple

Scott G says...
My tree is about 7 years old. I am not sure if it was grafted - but I suspect not. It is about 4m tall and was burnt by a freak frost over a year ago. It is yet to have a flower. I have read that frost damage can severly reduce yield. I have also read they bear in 5 to 10 years from seed. Perhaps mine is from seed. They are a 'tropical' tree. So maybe they bear in 5 years when planted in the tropics and 10 years when things aren't so perfect. They are a beautiful tree though. I am suprised people dont grow them just for their looks.

fruitist says...
There are 2 varieties. One bears smaller purple skinned fruits with purplish pulp. One bears larger green skinned fruits about 10cm big with white pulp in sub-tropic conditions. The later is very very rare in Oz land. Star Apple can root well by cuttings.

Bazza says...
STAR APPLE,
Trikus i did not realise this tree was so rare. I bought mine locally at our markets and after 4 years mine is now 3 mitres tall.

All The Best Bazza

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

Bazza says...
Fruitist,
I cannot say yet which coloured fruit i have as my is still to bear Fruit at only 4 years old.

All The Best Bazza

Anonymous says...
Hi Trikus,

Strange that foliage of my supposedly green skinned Star Apple is golden coloured just like the purple skinned one. Both are tiny trees, not bearing yet. The green skinned seeds came from Mexico, from a reliable source. The purple skinned one from a local source.

Do you have spare seeds of the green skined fruits? I have swap with you Kakadu Plum seeds or Cabeludia seeds. Both fresh seeds. If you agree, I will post my email address here.

Talking about Whyanbeel, which orchard you are referring to? The one closer to the main road or the one at the very end?

trikus says...
Just visited another property further along the East Feluga Rd from Trinas place . They had a bearing green skinned one that had lots of ripe fruit , I got 2 and the promise of many cuttings struck after Christamas [ the lady is an excellent propagator ] foliage on this tree had gold reverse on new leaves .. so maybe it is an age thing . Though the tree is young and sparse compared to the large one closer to the beach on Erics place . The enormous tree sat Whyanbeel was not on Alan Carles place , but near HighFalls .. better get my camera out of the car ,, will post pics later .

trikus says...
The fruits I got were not that fantastic tasting , ripens a pink colour and had no purple inside the cut fruit . Only 1 seed per fruit . And the fruits were not large . The ones at ERics are much superior and he is propagating some . fruitist , Trina knows Eric and can get in touch with him . He is President of our local Rare Fruit Australia group .

Michael says...
My star apple lost all it's leaves over the last Sydney winter. It's was in full bloom with lot's of tiny flowers but no fruit. It hasn't put out any new growth since then. I really want to buy a new one but before I do does anyone have any success growing star apples especially in the Sydney area ?

trikus says...
are you sure it is the fruiting one ?
I knew staff at RSBG and was informed of rare flowering spp. related to fruiting one .

trikus says...
One at RSBG is Chrysophyllum imperiale , very old tree , approx 150 years . Recently seed was sent back to its home of Brazil as it is now endangered there now . I am afraid the fruiting C cainito is fairly tropical and would not thrive out of QLD .

HappyEarth says...
OK ... according to my botanical friend there are three closely related species growing in the sydney botanical gardens - Chrysophyllum cainito, Chrysophyllum imperiale and one other Chrysophyllum spp. i cant recall the name.

The true, edible star apple (Chrysophyllum cainito) is growing outside in the gardens and is about 6-7m tall. I saw this one at the end of winter in sydney and it looked very healthy. He is not sure if it fruits though.

My friend also mentioned that the ice cream bean that daleys sells and the same one that everyone has growing around the place is in fact not an inga edulis but another closely related inga species.

Fruit for thought :)

Rich
www.happyearth.com.au

kev says...
Just to let you guys know - I have seen 2 of these trees - both the green skin, white pulp variety growing in Katherine and Tennant creek in the NT.

Jason says...
Really I must have spent 20 hours in the Sydney gardens over a few visits and I've never seen a white sapote. The again I still haven't seen the lord howe island figs and I don't know how I didn't see something that large. Amazing what is hiding in there

micarle says...
Jason I will get some pics on Monday of some things!!! Including the starapple, white sapote, and some other bits!!!

micarle says...
Jason bad pics, but a nice old white sapote. I have never tasted one so i'm keeping my eye's out!!

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1	Picture: 2

micarle says...
The tree is located only 20m from the restaurant, the trunk is black brown, i asked one of the team who has eaten a fruit and he said it made his throat nearly close over, so if i can get a fruit i will have a small slice!!

russell says...
Hi,
My starapple that I purchased from Fitzroy Nurseries in Rockhampton is finally flowering this year. It is over 8 years old and I was starting to think about sharpening the chainsaw. It is a beautiful shade tree that has survived many frosts here, inland from Bundaberg. Im a bit of a hard nose as trees go and if they don't fruit they usually go. So it has saved itself. There are 1000's of small buds and petite lime coloured flowers. It may not set fruit this year, but I'm hoping.
Russ

from the PEOPLE says...
hahahahahahhahahaaaahahahahahaha

Mike says...
I meant starapple season.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Mike says...
Mary the small dark Haitians are from rusty's but the grimal green,reds and mixed up ones are from other sources.It would be better if there was a philipine gold,giant purple and roe starapples in the shot but you can't have everything at once.There are a few type around and haitian is probably the worst.

Pictures - Click to enlarge
Picture: 1

Mike says...
David I don't think the market does alot of driving with tropical fruit.Look at a paw paw in the supermarket and it won't be the finet type.I think recognition of varieties and marketing are the main drivers.
Only a few starapple are named and many of the best don't appear to have names.
Haitian has thick skin,is small,plenty of seeds and i blander than most.

Mike says...
I would be surprised if there is any difference BJ.The trees look pretty similar and grow at similar rates.Maybe people have just latched onto the haitain name and only know the one that is most common.

rustynutz says...
The smoking of the tree had no real effect on fruit set. Move over I think that a constant watering in moderation is the best in well drained soil.
The trees can take 10 years to flower and bear fruit! Do not dispair, I almost cut ours out :(
Patience and care will be rewarded.

rustynutz says...
Have to concur with that.
Winter rain or winter watering is the key to good fruit growth and set!

Mike Tr says...
DPI gold and alva are both up to 1kg and are vastly superior to others in Australia except Juicy Pearl of course with is C.argentium auratum.

Grant says...
Cheers boys, S this is the one you so kindly sent my way, didn't stop growing though winter

Grant says...
Yep in the ground, and has continued to grow well over the past 6 months. Probably 70cm tall and wide

Thava says...
I have tried to grow them several times in the ground but they died. Now i have one more plant about 1 meter in the pot. I am too frighten to put in in the ground. Are you in Perth? Is there any specific location that I should plant it in the ground? How tall do you think it will eventually spread out to? The height is another thing I was told to look out for.