Tropical Apricot fruit (photo courtesy Top Tropicals - toptropicals.com)
Tropical Apricot
Mammea americana
Clusiaceae family
Grown from seedling
Also known as the Mammee Apple, the Tropical Apricot is no relation to the true temperate apricot that most people are familiar with. Fruiting trees are extremely rare in Australia and tend only to be found in botanical gardens and private collections.
This tree is grown from seed. Seedling trees can take a long while to fruit, and we don't know if it is self-fertile or if it requires cross-pollination. Therefore several grafts have been attached to this tree. One graft is the 'Julatten' variety; this is intended to be the central leader. There are also several new grafts obtained from a grower in Ipswich, QLD (refer to photos below).
It is likely to be summer-fruiting, although we don't know yet because it is so uncommon in Australia. Ripeness may be indicated by a yellowing of the skin. If, when scratched gently with a fingernail, there is green under the skin surface, it is not ready for picking. Fruit falls to the ground when ripe, but risks being bruised. The flesh has a flavour of apricots and berries, and be put into fruit salads, cooked in pies or tarts, made into spiced marmalade, or stewed. Slightly under ripe fruits (rich in pectin) can be made into jelly. When cooking skim off any foam as this can be bitter.
Tree Maintenance
Mammea americana
Clusiaceae family
Grown from seedling
Also known as the Mammee Apple, the Tropical Apricot is no relation to the true temperate apricot that most people are familiar with. Fruiting trees are extremely rare in Australia and tend only to be found in botanical gardens and private collections.
This tree is grown from seed. Seedling trees can take a long while to fruit, and we don't know if it is self-fertile or if it requires cross-pollination. Therefore several grafts have been attached to this tree. One graft is the 'Julatten' variety; this is intended to be the central leader. There are also several new grafts obtained from a grower in Ipswich, QLD (refer to photos below).
It is likely to be summer-fruiting, although we don't know yet because it is so uncommon in Australia. Ripeness may be indicated by a yellowing of the skin. If, when scratched gently with a fingernail, there is green under the skin surface, it is not ready for picking. Fruit falls to the ground when ripe, but risks being bruised. The flesh has a flavour of apricots and berries, and be put into fruit salads, cooked in pies or tarts, made into spiced marmalade, or stewed. Slightly under ripe fruits (rich in pectin) can be made into jelly. When cooking skim off any foam as this can be bitter.
Tree Maintenance
- This tree can be left to grow tall and does not need to be maintained at picking height, because fruit falls to the ground when ripe. The location has been selected so that when it grows tall it will not restrict access to sunlight for other trees within LCG.
- Take care to identify grafted branches before attempting pruning. Remove branches with excessive thorns or dieback.
- Keep soil well composted and mulched, leaving a gap around the trunk to avoid collar rot.
Tropical Apricot at LCG May 2025 - hand grasping graft point of 'Julatten' variety (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Tropical Apricot at LCG February 2025 - pointing finger indicates graft point of 'Julatten' variety (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Tropical Apricot at LCG February 2025 with new grafts attached, obtained from a mature tree in Ipswich, QLD (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Tropical Apricot at LCG January 2025 (photo credit: Jacqui Lachmann)
Tropical Apricot at LCG August 2022 (photo credit: Graham Bond)
