Fruit/nut identification?

Discussion in 'Plants: Identification' started by chantillylace, May 7, 2013.

  1. chantillylace

    chantillylace New Member

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    I bought this tree, being told it was a wild almond tree, but today I found this one sole fruit thing. It is plus colored with a little bit of flesh, and then a large pit of some sorts? I am in Palm Beach, Fl. This tree grew from about 1 foot to now 15 feet in under a year. The wood is hollow almost, with a tiny hollow channel running through all the branches.

    photo-1.JPG

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  2. anthrome

    anthrome Active Member

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    Do you have any photos of the leaf and/or flowers?
     
  3. Eric La Fountaine

    Eric La Fountaine Contributor Forums Moderator 10 Years

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    Reminds me of mamey, Pouteria sapota, but the flesh is very red and the rind has a lot of texture. Photos of the rest of the plant would be helpful.
     
  4. anthrome

    anthrome Active Member

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    It could be Terminallia catappa. Unrelated to the common almond, but often referred to as "tropical almond". They have that distinctive red fibrous flesh.
     
  5. anthrome

    anthrome Active Member

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    However, the rough grey skin is not so T. catappa - like. I usually see the fruit with a smooth green or reddish skin... Maybe that one is just very ripe. Grows easy from seed. The fruit is edible.
     
  6. wcutler

    wcutler Paragon of Plants Forums Moderator VCBF Cherry Scout 10 Years

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    What about Burdekin Plum, Pleiogynium timorense? I'm attaching two photos I took in Hawaii, since I don't find anything on the internet that shows the aspect that reminded me of the one in question. This one was ID'd by O'ahu Early Detection on flickr.

    As Eric said, photos of the tree and leaves would help rule out wild guesses like this one.
     
  7. chantillylace

    chantillylace New Member

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  8. chantillylace

    chantillylace New Member

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    photo-8.JPG

    It does seem to look the most like the Terminallia catappa. I could very well have been very ripe, it was the only fruit on the tree and we didn't notice it until it was that ripe and ready to fall off, so it could have started green.
     
  9. anthrome

    anthrome Active Member

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    Yes, based on your leaf photos it is definitely T. catappa. Its a cool tree, very salt and wind tolerant. Often seen growing directly on the beach in some areas. Now you can grow another one with the seed you collected.

    Terminallia mantalay and T. ivorensis are two of my favorites species in this genus.
     
  10. chantillylace

    chantillylace New Member

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    Thank you very much Anthrome and everyone who helped! I guess there was a language barrier with the lady and I...haha...that's south Florida for you! But at least I have a neat tree.
     

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