Pond Apple, Alligator Apple

A native tropical fruit tree growing wild in southern central and southern Florida. I have seen a few trees in wetlands as far north as ...Read MoreOrlando. It's one of the most prolific trees in the everglades. Alligators sometimes eat the fruit hence the name Alligator apple. Its flood tolerance makes it the prefferred rootstock for most annonas. It is very invasive in Australia and shouldn't be planted there.

The plant is found in Andaman and Nicobar Islands, India. Dr D.R.Singh, Dr S.Senani and Dr. R.P.Medhi at Central Agricultural Research In...Read Morestitute, Port Blair, have done extensive work on propagation, fruit, seed characteristics and nutritional profile.
Fruit Characteristics:
TSS (brix) 5.9
Acidity (%) 0.14- 0.16
Total Sugar (%) 3.45-3.85
Vitamin C (mg/100 g) 3.14-3.54
Juice % 25-30
Zn (ppm) 0.1426
Fe (ppm) 0.3260
K (ppm) 45.4370

Seed Characteristics:
CP(%) 9.18
Fiber(%) 53.60
Fat(%) 35.35
Ash(%) 1.85
Ca (%) 1.0
P (%) 0.039
Fatty acid profile:
Fatty acid Concentration mg/g Percent
8:0 Caprylic acid 0.34 0.034
10:0 Capric acid 0.76 0.076
12:0 Lauric acid 12.7 1.27
14:0 Myristic acid 0.98 0.098
16:0 Palmitic acid 109 10.9
16:1 Palmitoleic acid 10.9 1.09
18:0 Stearic acid 37 3.7
18:1 Oleic acid 461 46.1
18:2 Linoleic acid 356 35.6
18:3 Linolenic acid 7.6 0.076
20:0 Arachidic acid 7.5 0.075
20:1 Eicosenic acid Traces -
22:0 Behnic acid Traces -
22:1 Erucic Acid 9.3 0.093
Total Saturated fatty acids 168.28 16.82
Total unsaturated fatty acids 844.8 84.48
Monounsaturated fatty acids 481.2 48.12
Polyunsaturated fatty acids 363.6 36.36
Seedlings: are resistant to salinity and the seeds can be grown with seawater. Seedlings raised outside can survive with seawater. Seedlings are found to be suitable as rootstocks for Custard apple and Sour sop.
Economic Importance:
Plants can be grown in swampy and marshy conditions. Can be used for aforestation purposes in coastal areas. Cuttings could be planted around the nursery bed to prevent the African giant snail from entering in the nursery beds.

The pond apple is a medium sized tree that grows in deep wetlands throughout south Florida. The green-yellow fruit is food to many animal...Read Mores including racoons and squirrels. The bark is an excellent home for orchids and other air plants. This is a tropical with some cold tolerance but will suffer in a frost.