Ebenaceae, Diospyros blancoi, velvet apple, mabolo
March 3, 2008
Mabolo, or velvet apple is an attractive tree, closely related to the persimmon and ebony. As the English common name would suggest, the fruit is covered in a fine, velvety skin, usually reddish brown. Inside is a soft, creamy flesh with a unique taste and aroma. The species is native to the Philippines where the tree is referred to as kamagong. It is strictly a tropical tree, drought tolerant growing well in a wide variety of soils, from sea level to 2,400 feet. Planted from the seed the tree can take up to six years to bear fruit. Trees propagated from cuttings produce fruit in three to four years.
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my best friend gave me this fruit to eat..the skin is like swade
Yes, a very unique skin and fruit texture. I had also read it can be cooked. I tried a few thin slices in a cast iron pan with butter, quite good. Refrigerating the fruit slices is supposed to eliminate the somewhat powerful (but not necessarily unpleasant) fragrant odor emitted by the fruit.
Fruity and cheesy, eh? Too tropical to grow well in Miami, I tried.
Yeah, it is kind of cheesy. I have seen it growing in Miami and the Caribbean, although they never look very healthy, fruits always small and not very good to eat. The one I photographed above is growing at the back of the somewhat abandoned Summit Botanical garden in Panama. This tree bore the largest Mabolo fruit I’ve seen. Seeds propagate very easily and grow fast in the right conditions.
I’m really interested planting Kamagong trees in Region-10, Cagayan de Oro, but the problem is where to get Kamagong seeds. Pls. send me info about it. Thanks
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