MABOLO - THE VELVET APPLE
SCIENTIFIC NAME: Diospyros discolor
FAMILY: Ebenaceae
Many of our tropical fruits have very descriptive names and one which is easily recognised is a persimmon relative native to Malaysia called Velvet Apple, or Mabolo.
Mabolo is a tree that grows slowly to a height of about thirty feet and has long, dark green, evergreen leaves, which are darker on the upper surface and lighter on the under surface, often with a hairy underside.
The velvet apple is a rather unusual and attractive fruit tree. Cultivars grown in our area make handsome, very upright trees, growing to 35 feet or more, but with a narrow spread, sometimes of less than half the height. Small, white, waxy flowers about an inch and half long are borne during the spring and summer, and the fruit matures during the late summer and fall. Fruits are very distinctive in appearance with a flattened shape much like a Japanese persimmon, looking like a regular apple covered with very fine reddish-brown hair, giving the fruit a velvet appearance.
The fruit, at maturity, is very aromatic and some varieties have a pleasant odor of strong cheese. The fruit inside has a creamy-white to yellowish white flesh containing several large flat seeds. There are some seedless varieties. Fruits can vary in size from two to four inches and the reddish, velvety hairs are easily removed by rubbing gently.
Fruits are usually eaten fresh, but may be used for ice creams and sherbets. Flavor varies widely; however better varieties, to me, taste almost as good as a pineapple. Generally, the season for fruit is only a few months; during that time, large amounts of fruit might be produced.
Growth rate of seedlings is quite slow, sometimes less than a foot a year. It takes 3 to 4 years from seed before trees would begin to bear. It is best to graft trees, if bearing trees are available for getting graft wood. Grafting can be done by veneer grafts or trees also can be air layered or budded. Trees should be planted in areas of well-drained but moist soil which are protected from cold weather. Mature trees will freeze at about 28°F., and younger trees will be injured at about 30°F. Salt tolerance of the velvet apple is rather poor, so they should be kept at least a block or two from exposed salt areas next to the ocean or Intracoastal Waterway. Due to their slow growth rate, trees benefit from light, frequent fertilizing with a good quality fruit tree fertilizer. Mature trees, especially on alkaline soils, develop severe chlorotic conditions and deficiencies of iron and manganese. Since the root systems seem to be very shallow, mulching is also considered to be extremely beneficial; this helps to conserve soil moisture and cut down on competition from weeds.
Since the velvet apple is a persimmon relative, trees tend to have predominantly male or female flowers and for best production at least one tree of each sex should be planted together, or a male branch grafted onto a female tree. Occasionally, isolated female trees will be found that are fairly heavy producers, but this is rare.
There are a few named varieties of velvet apple available in some areas, but for the most part, most Diospyros discolor commonly grown in South Florida collections are seedlings. Seedless forms are known, however these are difficult to obtain, and there is a wide variability in the quality of the different velvet apple cultivars grown in the South Florida area.
DATE: March 1994, 1995
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