Identity of lovely old tree finally revealed
A few months ago, Barberton Times graphic designer, Hannelie Janse van Rensburg’s mother-in-law visited them in Barberton to recuperate after an operation. On one of her daily strolls, she came across a lovely old tree in front of Royal Sheba guest house. The leaves strongly resembled those of the loquat tree, but the fruit was …

A few months ago, Barberton Times graphic designer, Hannelie Janse van Rensburg’s mother-in-law visited them in Barberton to recuperate after an operation. On one of her daily strolls, she came across a lovely old tree in front of Royal Sheba guest house.
The leaves strongly resembled those of the loquat tree, but the fruit was huge and strange. She picked one and it has been lying on the Janse van Rensburgs’ veranda ever since.
While on a recent visit from America, Hannelie’s family took a keen interest in the fruit, which by then was dried out and had shrunk considerably. “In the end the whole family went in search of the tree,” she said.
They phoned the guest house and were informed that it was commonly known as a false loquat, but this still didn’t satisfy their curiosity.
At the office, everyone was soon very curious and questions were asked far and wide, but no one could shed light on its identity. At her wits’ end Hannelie turned to the South African Botanical Institute for answers and they responded as follows “It is called Dillenia indica, or elephant apple. There’s a pretty one in the Durban Botanical Garden; the flowers are spectacular but short-lived. The fruit smells to high heaven as they start to go off. It’s from India, Malaysia and Indonesia. Don’t know if it’s an invader, but it’s not aggressive and I’d be inclined to look after and love the tree if at all possible.”
Barberton Times went in search of the uses of the Dillenia indica, if any, and came across some interesting facts.
The tree is known by a variety of names, such as elephant apple, chulta/chalta or ouu. It is native to south-eastern Asia, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka as well as east to south-western China and Vietnam, and south through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia.
This evergreen tree is of small to medium size and can grow up to 15 metres tall with large, white five-petalled flowers.
What we found very interesting was that the huge greenish-yellow fruits are edible. Inside each you will find 15 carpels and each of them contains five seeds.
The texture resembles a rubbery pulp and this bitter-sour fruit paste is used in curries, jams and jellies in Indian cuisine. Mixed with coconut and various spices, it is also used to make chutneys.
The elephant apple, as the name suggests, is a key source of nourishment for elephants while other wild animals like monkeys and antelope also feast on it.
The tree is not commercially cultivated, and sale of the fruit is strictly forbidden. The main reason is to prevent the destruction of the food-chain system of the forest areas.It also came to light that the fruit has for centuries been used in many Indian cultures for its healing properties.
It is frequently used to treat stomach upsets, anxiety and exhaustion, while the bark and juice from the leaves are administered to treat diarrhea and cancer.
It is also believed that dandruff and hair loss can be treated by rubbing the fruit’s sticky substance onto the scalp.
We couldn’t find out who planted the first elephant apple in Barberton, or how many others there may be, but we assume they came with the early Indians who settled in the town. Should you be the proud owner of such a tree, why not find out from an Indian friend how you can use it in preparing food or check out the internet for great recipes made with this versatile fruit.
We would love to hear from anyone in our Indian community about easy recipes and other uses, and whether or not it is still used in Barberton in Indian cuisine.