Purple Caimito (Star Apple)
Purple Caimito (Star Apple)
Contact us to Confirm availability.
---------------------
Other names: Purple Star Apple, Golden Leaf tree, Abiaba, Estrella, Milk Fruit, Aguay
Origin: West Indies and Central America.
Tree Height: 25 ft.
Season: February-May
Cold Hardiness: 28° - 30°F
Fruit Description: Fruit may be round to oblate to ellipsoid and 2-4 in. in diameter. Peel may be red-purple, dark-purple, or pale-green. Skin is smooth, glossy, and leathery. In purple fruits, the inner rind is dark purple, and in green fruits, white. Pulp is white, soft, and milky surrounding 6-11 seeds. Seeds contained in rubbery seed cells and surrounded by a gelatinous pulp. When cut transversely, the seed cells are seen to radiate outwardly from a central core, producing a star-shaped pattern.
More Info: Caimito was observed growing by Spanish explorers in Peru during the 1500s. Seeds were introduced into Hawaii in 1901 and into Florida around 1887. Star apples must not be bitten into, since the skin and rind are inedible. When opening a star apple, one should not allow any of the bitter latex of the skin to contact the edible flesh.
Chrysophyllum cainito is a tropical tree of the family Sapotaceae. It is native to the Greater Antilles and the West Indies. It has spread to the lowlands of Central America and is now grown throughout the tropics, including Southeast Asia.[1] It grows rapidly and reaches 20 m in height.