Mammee apple (Mammea americana) fruit live tree 12”-24”

Description

The plant is widely cultivated, especially in back yards, in the tropics for its edible fruit.  With its dark-green, shiny leaves and dense foliage, it makes a beautiful ornamental tree and so is often planted for shade around houses, parks and along streets

The mammee apple is a berry, though it is often misinterpreted to be a drupe.  It is round or slightly irregular, with a brown or gray-brown  When unripe, the fruit is hard and heavy, but its flesh slightly softens when fully ripe.  Beneath the skin is a white, dry membrane, whose taste is astringent, and adheres to the flesh.  The flesh is orange or yellow, not fibrous, and can have various textures (crispy or juicy, firm, or tender).  Generally, the flesh smell is pleasant and appetizing

The mammee tree is 18–21 m (59–69 ft) high and is similar in appearance to the southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora). Its trunk is short and reaches 1.9–2.2 m (6 ft 3 in – 7 ft 3 in) in diameter.  The tree’s upright branches form an oval head.  Its dark-green foliage is quite dense, with opposite, leathery, elliptical leaves.  The leaves can reach 10 cm (3.9 in) wide and twice as long.

The mammee flower is fragrant, has four or six white petals, and reaches 2.5–4.0 cm (0.98–1.57 in) wide when fully blossomed.  The flowers are borne either singly or in clusters of two or three, on short stalks.  A single flower can have pistils, stamens, or both, so flowers can be male, female or hermaphrodite on one tree.

Additional information