Cannonball Tree

Cannonball Tree ( Couroupita guianensis / Lecythidacceae )

Trunk
Massive and is thickly covered with long woody twigs which bear the flowers and fruits.

Habit
Deciduous and sheds its leaves every six months. Flowers and fruits can usually be seen on the tree all year round.

Uses
Hindus use the fragrant flowers for prayer and worship. The hard shells from the fruit are used to make containers and utensils.

Flowers
Flowers are large and fragrant with 6 thick fleshy waxy curved petals, yellow on outside and pink inside.

Fruits
The fruits are large, round and hard, reddish to greyish brown, and very much resemble cannonballs. They grow to around 20 cm in diameter and have thin woody shell filled with a soft slightly smelly pulp containing numerous seed. Upon ripening, the fruit disintegrate and the seeds are dispersed.