COCOPLUM
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Chrysobalanus icaco
FAMILY: Rosaceae
The cocoplum is a subtropical evergreen tree 25 to 30 feet in height, with a dense, broad crown of upright branches, trunks 10 to 12 inches in diameter with reddish-brown flaky bark.
Leaves alternate, dark green with polished, leathery texture, one and one-half (1½) to four (4) inches long, sometimes nearly round, but usually slightly heart-shaped at the tip, and rounding wedge-shaped base giving an over-all valentine-line appearance, margins smooth.
Tiny, flat, white flowers borne in clusters on short creamy-coloured stems. Small, round fruit about the size of a half dollar, with purplish skin and thin, white juicy pulp, slightly aromatic ripens in summer. Solitary round seed nearly as large as fruit.
They are usually found growing in a wild state near the coast. Makes an attractive yard plant.
(Illustration from Complete Book of Fruit, by Leslie Johns and Violet Stevenson.)
DATE: March 1987
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