346 MANUAL OF TROPICAL AND SUBTROPICAL FRUITS 



hard, brown, and glossy. The appearance of a halved star- 

 apple is strikingly suggestive of that of the mangosteen. 



The fruit is usually eaten fresh. In Jamaica it is sometimes 

 made into preserves, and also (according to P. W. Reasoner) 

 into a mixture somewhat cryptically called "matrimony," 

 which is prepared by scooping out the inside pulp and adding 

 it to a glass of sour orange juice. An analysis made in Hawaii 

 by Alice R. Thompson shows the ripe fruit to contain : Total 

 solids 11.47 per cent, ash 0.39, acids 0.12, protein 2.33, total 

 sugars 4.40, fat 1.38, and fiber 0.85. 



The tree is wild in the West Indies and in Central America. 

 It is cultivated in the same area and also in South America, 

 Mexico, Florida, and to a limited extent in Hawaii and a few 

 other countries. According to H. F. Macmillan it was intro- 

 duced into Ceylon in 1802, but it is not commonly grown any- 

 where in the Orient, so far as is known. In the English colonies 

 it is known almost invariably as star-apple; in the French 

 colonies (and sometimes in Cuba) it is called caimite; while in 

 most Spanish-speaking countries the word is caimito. 



The plant is tropical in its requirements. P. W. Reasoner 

 notes : " When small, the tree is not apt to sprout up again if 

 killed back by frost, and it is perhaps somewhat more tender 

 than the sapodilla." Old trees are to be found at Miami and 

 Palm Beach, Florida, which proves that the species is suffi- 

 ciently hardy to grow in the southern part of that state. So far 

 as is known, no plants have ever grown to fruiting size in Cali- 

 fornia, although they have been planted in the most protected 

 situations. The star-apple likes a humid atmosphere with 

 relatively high temperatures throughout the year. Apparently 

 it is not particular in regard to soil ; it grows well both on the 

 shallow sandy soils of southeastern Florida and on the deep clay 

 loams of Cuba. 



Propagation is usually by seed. Since there is much differ- 

 ence among seedlings, however, it will be desirable to employ 



