Wood apple

Limonia acidissima

A cannonball of a fruit: scoop the sour pulp with jaggery; thrives on neglect.

Type: small tree · fruit trees
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 30 ft tall, 20 ft wide
Harvest: October to December
From: India and Sri Lanka
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food.

Native to: South & Southeast Asian tropics. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.

The story

Wood apple has been eaten in India and Sri Lanka for millennia, its pulp scooped with jaggery and spices or mixed into a chutney; Jain and Hindu offerings include it, and elephants swallow the fruit whole and leave the shells intact. It smells strong and tastes of blue cheese and tamarind.

Planting

Full sun, any drained soil, heat, and a dry season; it tolerates drought and poor ground. Plant seed or a grafted tree; thorny, slow, to 30 feet.

Growing

Water young trees, then nothing. No pruning needed. It bears after seven years or more.

Harvest and use

Fruit ripens in winter and drops; crack the woody shell, mix the brown pulp with jaggery and spices, or make chutney and juice.

What to watch for

Thorns; nothing else.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home