Dillenia indicaElephant Apple

The Dillenia indica, or Elephant Apple, carries some of the most striking foliage of any Asian tree: leaves up to 35 centimetres long, deeply corrugated along parallel veins, glossy and held in dense rosettes at the branch tips. The effect is closer to a bromeliad than to a shade tree.

Large white flowers with a boss of yellow stamens open through the wet season, followed by heavy green fruit whose fleshy sepals are used in chutneys and curries across India and South East Asia.

Specifications

• Height10 to 15 metres, occasionally to 18 metres
• Width8 to 12 metres
• Native toIndia, southern China and South East Asia
• FoliageVery large, glossy, strongly corrugated leaves with parallel veins and toothed margins; evergreen
• Growth rateModerate

Conditions

• SoilPrefers deep, moist, well-drained soils; suited to riverbank and high water table sites
• LightFull sun to partial shade
• WaterModerate to regular; does not tolerate extended dry periods
• ClimateThrives in humid tropical and subtropical regions

Additional Features

• FlowersLarge white flowers to 20 centimetres across with a dense boss of yellow stamens
• FruitHeavy rounded green fruit formed of fleshy sepals, edible when cooked
• UsesPark and botanic planting, shade and specimen trees, riverbank and lakeside schemes
• SpacingPlant 8 to 10 metres apart to allow the crown to develop
• Low MaintenanceLittle pruning needed; clear fallen fruit from paths and lawns
• Pest ResistanceRobust and generally untroubled
• Wildlife AttractionFruit is taken by birds, bats and large mammals in its native range

The Elephant Apple is a shade tree bought for its leaf, which is bolder than anything else available at the same scale.