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Star Apple
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Star Apple
ntroduced Photo: Aarti Khale
Common name: Star Apple, Golden leaf tree • Marathi: Tarsiphala
Botanical name: Chrysophyllum cainito    Family: Sapotaceae (Mahua family)

Star Apple is a moderate-sized evergreen tree reaching 50 ft. with a dense crown. Leaves 3-4.5 X 2-2.5 in, oval or oblong with a silky-golden underside. Flowers small in cluster in the axils of the leaves. Fruit from 2-2.5 in in diameter, round, smooth, firm. A cross section shows the star-like core, from which the popular name has been derived. Star Apple is native to West Indies, Panama, and Central America. Often cultivated in towns as a roadside tree, in India. Grown for its fruit. When the fruit is allowed to ripen on the tree the pulp is delicious and is eaten uncooked. The colour of the fruit varies from white to purple. Flowering: July-August.

Identification credit: Prashant More Photographed in Jijamata Udyan, Mumbai.

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