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Tree Description: The star apple is mostly appreciated as a fruit tree in home landscapes. It is a beautiful tree, making a perfect tree for landscaping in South Florida. The canopy opens forming an umbrella shape where the underside leaves shines with a golden brown color meanwhile the upper side shines with an emerald green color. 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.
Scientific Name: Chrysophyllum cainito
Common Names: West Indian star apple, caimito, star-apple
Family: Sapotaceae
Relatives: Mamey sapote, sapodilla, abiu, canistel
Origin: West Indies and Central America
Importance: The fruit of the pulp is used to sooth inflammation in laryngitis and pneumonia. It is given as a treatment for diabetes mellitus, and as a decoction is gargled to relieve angina.
In Venezuela, the slightly unripe fruits are eaten to overcome intestinal disturbances. In excess, they cause constipation. Tea from the leaves is used to treat chest and lung congestion. The bark is extremely bitter and is drunk as a tonic and stimulant, and is taken to halt diarrhea, dysentery and hemorrhages, and as a treatment for gonorrhea. The crushed seeds are eaten as a tonic, diuretic and to bring down fever. In Brazil, the latex of the tree is applied on wounds and, when dried and powdered, is given to cure worms.
Other Uses
The latex obtained by making incisions in the bark coagulates readily and has been utilized as an adulterant of gutta percha. It was formerly proposed as a substitute for wax on the shelves of wardrobes and closets.