Synonyms: 

Cavanillea mabolo Poir

Cavanillea philippensis Desr.

Systematic Position

Kingdom:  Plantae

Phylum: Tracheophyta

Order: Ericales Bercht. & J. Presl

Family: Ebenaceae

Native: Philippines

Common Names

English – Velvet Apple

Malayalam – മബോളോ

Description: A dioecious, evergreen tree, 7-15m tall (sometimes gorow even taller) and about 50cm diameter, crown conical. Leaves alternate, oblong, 8-30cm long 2.5-12cm wide. Leaves are entire with base usually rounded and apex pointed, upper surface dark-green, shiny, glabrous, lower surface silvery hairy. Young leaves pale-green to pinkish, silky-hairy. Petiole up to 1.7 cm long. Flowers are unisexual. Male flowers in 3-7-flowered axillary cymes; pedicel short; calyx tubular but deeply 4-lobed, about 1cm long. Female flowers solitary, axillary, subsessile, slightly larger than male flowers.  Fruit a globose or depressed-globose berry, 5-12cm long and 8-10cm wide. Furuits are velvety or brown-reddish, densely coated with short golden-brown hairs, emanating a strong, cheese-like odour; flesh whitish, firm, rather dry, sweet, astringent, aromatic.

Habitat: Evergreen tree

Distribution: Taiwan,Philippines ,eastern Borneo

Uses: The ripened fruit is edible. It tastes sweet. The flesh can also be diced and combined with salads. The wood is smooth, durable and black and are used in making handicrafts. Often planted alog the road sides as avenue trees.