names.

In Spanish, it is usually caimito or estrella; in Portuguese, cainito or ajara; in

French, generally, caimite or caimitier; in
Haiti, pied caimite or caimitier a feuilles
d'or; in the French West Indies,pomme
surette, or buis; in the Virgin Islands, cainit;
in Trinidad and Tobago, it is caimite or
kaimit; in Barbados, star-plum; in
Colombia, it may be caimo, caimo
morado (purple variety)
or caimitomaduraverde (green variety); in
Bolivia, caimitero, or murucuja; in
Surinam, sterappel,
apra or goudblad boom; in French
Guiana, macoucou; in Belize, damsel; in El
Salvador, guayabillo; in
Argentina,aguay or olivoa. The Chinese in
Plate LVIII: STAR APPLE, Chrysophyllum cainito
Singapore call it "chicle durian".
Description
The star apple tree is erect, 25 to 100 ft (8-30 m) tall, with a short trunk to 3 ft (1 m)
thick, and a dense, broad crown, brown-hairy branchlets, and white, gummy latex.
The alternate, nearly evergreen, leaves are elliptic or oblong-elliptic, 2 to 6 in (5-15
cm) long, slightly leathery, rich green and glossy on the upper surface, coated with
silky, golden-brown pubescence beneath when mature, though silvery when young.
Small, inconspicuous flowers, clustered in the leaf axils, are greenish-yellow, yellow,
or purplish-white with tubular, 5-lobed corolla and 5 or 6 sepals. The fruit, round,
oblate, ellipsoid or somewhat pear-shaped, 2 to 4 in (5-10 cm) in diameter, may be
red-purple, dark-purple, or pale-green. It feels in the hand like a rubber ball. The
glossy, smooth, thin, leathery skin adheres tightly to the inner rind which, in purple
fruits, is dark-purple and 1/4 to 1/2 in (6-12.5 mm) thick; in green fruits, white and 1/8
to 3/16 in.(3-5 mm) thick. Both have soft, white, milky, sweet pulp surrounding the 6
to 11 gelatinous, somewhat rubbery, seed cells in the center which, when cut through
transversely, are seen to radiate from the central core like an asterisk or many-pointed
star, giving the fruit its common English name. The fruit may have up to 10 flattened,
nearly oval, pointed, hard seeds, 3/4 in (2 cm.) long, nearly 1/2 in (1.25 cm) wide, and
up to 1/4 in (6 mm) thick, but usually several of the cells are not occupied and the best
fruits have as few as 3 seeds. They appear black at first, with a light area on the
ventral side, but they dry to a light-brown.
Origin and Distribution

It is commonly stated that the star apple is indigenous to Central America but the
eminent botanists Paul Standley and Louis Williams have declared that it is not native
to that area, no Nahuatl name has been found, and the tree may properly belong to the
West Indies. However, it is more or less naturalized at low and medium altitudes from
southern Mexico to Panama, is especially abundant on the Pacific side of Guatemala,
and frequently cultivated as far south as northern Argentina and Peru. It was recorded
by Ciezo de Leon as growing in Peru during his travels between 1532 and 1550. It is
common throughout most of the Caribbean Islands and in Bermuda. In Haiti, the star
apple was the favorite fruit of King Christophe and he held court under the shade of a
very large specimen at Milot. The United States Department of Agriculture received
seeds from Jamaica in 1904 (S.P.I. #17093). The star apple is grown occasionally in
southern Florida and in Hawaii where it was introduced before 1901. There are some
trees in Samoa and in Malaya though they do not bear regularly. The tree is grown in
southern Vietnam and in Kampuchea for its fruits but more for its ornamental value in
West Tropical Africa, Zanzibar, and the warmer parts of India. It was introduced into
Ceylon in 1802, reached the Philippines much later but has become very common
there as a roadside tree and the fruit is appreciated.
Varieties
Apart from the two distinct color types, there is little evidence of such pronounced
variation that growers would be stimulated to make vigorous efforts to select and
propagate superior clones. William Whitman of Miami observed a tree yielding heavy
crops of well-formed, high quality fruits in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, from late January to
the end of June. He brought budwood to Florida in 1953. Grafted progeny and trees
grown from air-layers have borne well here even prior to reaching 10 ft (3 m) in
height. This introduction, named the "Haitian Star Apple", is propagated commercially
for dooryard culture. Seeds of the Port-au-Prince tree have produced seedlings that
have performed poorly in Florida.
Climate
The star apple tree is a tropical or near-tropical species ranging only up to 1,400 ft
(425 m) elevation in Jamaica. It does well only in the warmest locations of southern
Florida and on the Florida Keys. Mature trees are seriously injured by temperatures
below 28 F (-2.22 C) and recover slowly. Young trees may be killed by even short
exposure to 31 F (-0.56 C).
Soil
The tree is not particular as to soil, growing well in deep, rich earth, clayey loam,
sand, or limestone, but it needs perfect drainage.

Propagation
Star apple trees are most widely grown from seeds which retain viability for several
months and germinate readily. The seedlings bear in 5 to 10 years. Vegetative
propagation hastens production and should be more commonly practiced. Cuttings of
mature wood root well. Air-layers can be produced in 4 to 7 months and bear early.
Budded or grafted trees have been known to fruit one year after being set in the
ground. In India, the star apple is sometimes inarched on star apple seedlings. Grafting
on the related satinleaf tree (C. oliviforme L.) has had the effect of slowing and
stunting the growth.
Culture
During the first 6 months, the young trees should be watered weekly. Later irrigation
may be infrequent except during the flowering season when watering will increase
fruit-set. Most star apple trees in tropical America and the West Indies are never
fertilized but a complete, well-balanced fertilizer will greatly improve performance in
limestone and other infertile soils.
Harvesting
Star apples are generally in season from late winter or early spring to early summer.
They do not fall when ripe but must be hand-picked by clipping the stem. Care must
be taken to make sure that they are fully mature. Otherwise the fruits will be gummy,
astringent and inedible. When fully ripe, the skin is dull, a trifle wrinkled, and the fruit
is slightly soft to the touch.
Yield
In India, a mature star apple tree may bear 150 lbs (60 kg) of fruits in the short
fruiting season of February and March.
Keeping Quality
Ripe fruits remain in good condition for 3 weeks at 37.4 to 42.8 F (3-6 C) and 90%
relative humidity.
Pests and Diseases
Larvae of small insects are sometimes found in the ripe fruits.

The, main disease problem in the Philippines is stem-end decay caused by species
of Pestalotia and Diplodia. In Florida, some fruits may mummify before they are fullgrown.
The foliage is subject to leaf spots from attack by Phomopsis sp., Phyllosticta sp.,
and Cephaleuros virescens, the latter known as algal leaf spot or green scurf.
Birds and squirrels attack the fruits if they are left to fully ripen on the tree.
Food Uses
Star apples must not be bitten into. The skin and rind (constituting approximately 33%
of the total) are inedible. When opening a star apple, one should not allow any of the
bitter latex of the skin to contact the edible flesh. The ripe fruit, preferably chilled,
may be merely cut in half and the flesh spooned out, leaving the seed cells and core. A
combination of the chopped flesh with that of mango, citrus, pineapple, other fruits
and coconut water is frozen and served as Jamaica Fruit Salad Ice. An attractive way
to serve the fruit is to cut around the middle completely through the rind and then,
holding the fruit stem-end down, twisting the top gently back and forth. As this is
done, the flesh will be felt to free itself from the downward half of the rind, and the
latter will pull away, taking with it the greater part of the core.
In Jamaica, the flesh is often eaten with sour orange juice, a combination called
"matrimony"; or it is mixed with orange juice, a little sugar, grated nutmeg and a
spoonful of sherry and eaten as dessert called "strawberries and-cream". Bolivians
parboil the edible portion, and also prepare it as a decoction. An emulsion of the
slightly bitter seed kernels is used to make imitation milk-of almonds, also nougats
and other confections.