Mtopetope, or Custard Apple is indigenous to the West Indies and Central America and is grown throughout the tropics. Around Arusha I found it to be an occasional species and usually in gardens of people with an interest in planting them.
The species requires >1000mm rainfall and prefers slightly acid soils.hile it can survive drought, it requires uniform soil moisture from flowering to fruit well.
Description: A small semi-deciduous tree growing perhaps to 6 metres with a short trunk, then branching out widely. Bark is grey with an interlaced pattern of shallow fissures. The leaves are alternate, thin and a dullish green.Narrow oval in shape - 7 - 15 cm. The leaves shed in drought conditions. Flowers are inconspicuous and in groups of 2 - 4, though also solitary and on a stalk. Each flower has 3 fleshy outer petals 2.5cm long, light green and purple at the base - there are 3 inner petals, very small to non-existent,. The fruit are compound and roughly heart-shaped, 5 - 10 cm in diameter. The skin is green/yellow and sometimes powdery. Inside the flesh is yellow/white, aromatic and sweet. The fruit is in sections and within each section is a shiny, large black seed.
Uses: Fruit - has a high vitamin C count. Of course the tree produces fuelwood (but it is too valuable a tree to destroy), ornamental and shelter.
Propagation: The species is best propagated from seed and well stored seed may last for 10 months. There is no treatment necessary to the seed which should be sown directly. No doubt fresh seed is best. Germination is often within a month.
Trees should not be planted closer than 6 metres apart because the tree is susceptible to root-rot. Fruit is left on the tree until it is ripe.
We did not produce many trees for outplanting because seed was difficult to acquire and there were not many sites suitable for outplanting.
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