2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Chrysophyllum (lat. Chrysophyllum cainito) - a luxurious evergreen tree belonging to the notorious Sapotov family. The fruits of this tree are often called the star apple.
Description
Chrysophyllum is a fast growing tree that can vary in height from eight to ten meters. Each tree is endowed with a very dense crown and a rather short trunk.
Oval shiny leaves of chrysophyllum grow in length from five to fifteen centimeters. They are usually dark green above, and velvety and golden brownish below.
Fragrant miniature chrysophyllum flowers are painted in purplish-whitish tones and form exclusively in the leaf sinuses.
The round fruits of the handsome chrysophyllum tend to tie without pollination and reach a diameter of five to ten centimeters. Currently, two forms of fruit are distinguished: with a white pulp and a delicate greenish skin, or with a bright purple pulp and a colorful dark purple skin.
The skin of the matured fruits is always shiny, smooth and thin, and their pulp is reliably protected by the inner crust reaching 5-10 mm in thickness. True, this thickness of the crust is relevant only for purple fruits, and in greenish specimens, the thickness of the crust usually does not exceed 3 - 5 mm.
Very sweet and rather soft fruit pulp is surrounded by gelatinous cells in the amount of six to eleven pieces. In a cross section, they resemble the rays of a star diverging from the middle - this is precisely what determines the second name of the fruit. In addition, up to ten seeds can be found inside each fruit, the average length of which is two centimeters. And in fruits of higher quality, there are usually fewer seeds. Fresh seeds may appear black at first, however, when dry, they turn light brownish.
Chrysophyllum fruits usually ripen from early spring to summer, but in some tropical regions they ripen throughout the year. And since ripe fruits do not have the property of falling off, they are carefully cut off along with small sections of branches.
Only fully ripe fruit should be harvested, since unripe specimens are usually inedible and very tightly knitted. It is quite easy to identify mature fruits - they become wrinkled, and when pressed on them, their softness and pliability is felt. By the way, ripe fruits can be stored in the refrigerator for three weeks.
How is chrysophyllum eaten
The peel of the fruit and their peel, which takes about 1/3 of the total volume of each fruit, are inedible in chrysophyllum. When peeling these unusual fruits, it is important to ensure that the bitter latex in the rind does not get on the flesh.
Immediately before consumption, ripe fruits are cooled and cut into two parts. Juicy pulp can be eaten with a spoon, bypassing the seeds and the surrounding seed cells. And citrus juice can significantly improve the taste of the pulp.
In Jamaica, the pulp is crushed and combined with citrus fruits, mangoes, pineapple and some other fruits, as well as coconut milk. This mixture is then frozen and eaten as a dessert. Also, the pulp of the fruit can be combined with orange juice, a spoonful of sherry, grated nutmeg and a small spoonful of sugar - the taste of such a delicacy is somewhat reminiscent of the taste of the “strawberry with cream” dessert.
A slightly bitter emulsion from the nucleoli of chrysophyllum seeds is widely used to make nougat and many other sweets.
Growing
Chrysophyllum grows well in containers with a thick drainage layer and a fairly loose soil mixture. At the same time, he feels equally well both in light partial shade and in sunny places. Chrysophyllum also loves periodic spraying and humidified air.
It is allowed to propagate excellent chrysophyllum both by seeds and by air layers or grafts. And this culture begins to bear fruit only after five to ten years.
