The star apple Chrysophyllum cainito, is one of the most attractive tropical fruits so far as its foliage. This evergreen tree, native to tropical America, can reach a height of 40 to 50 feet in its native areas, but in Florida it rarely reaches more than 40 feet with about the same width. The trees have very attractive leaves which are deep green above and a silky golden brown beneath and as the wind rustles the foliage this gives a strikingly beautiful effect. Trees can grow over a wide range of soils and are one of the few trees that actually grows well in highly alkaline soils, even at pH's up to 7.5. Tiny inconspicuous flowers are produced during the summer through early fall.
Trees produce a delicious fruit too, and the fruits are born during the early to late spring.
Both have very sweet whitish flesh which is very good and is usually eaten as a fresh fruit. Trees grow rapidly, often three to four feet or more in a single growing season. Propagation can be by seed, air layering, or grafting. One of the major problems to the widespread use of the star apple in Florida is its sensitivity to cold. It will get very badly damaged at 29 to 30 F and mature trees can be frozen to the ground by hard freezes.