Meliaceae
How to identify a santol tree
Sandoricum koetjape · also called sentul (Malay)
Round, yellow-to-orange fruit with cottony, sweet-tart pulp around the seeds; cultivated in two general types, a sweeter 'red santol' and a tarter 'yellow santol.' The thick rind is also candied.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Sandoricum, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves have three leaflets, and older leaves often turn red before they fall.
- Fruit is round and golden-yellow with a slightly velvety skin.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If santol is the top result, the field marks above are your second opinion.
Leaves, flowers, fruit, or bark — closer and sharper identifies better. Your photo is identified and discarded, never stored.
Where and when you will find it
- Origin / cultivation history
- Indochina / Malay Peninsula
- USDA zones
- 10-11
- Climate
- Tropical, fairly adaptable and drought-tolerant once established.
- Fruiting season
- July, August and September (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so July, August and September is the easiest window. Outside it, rely on the leaves and the overall habit. A tree growing well outside the climate above is more likely to be a look-alike.
Growing it: seedling or grafted?
A young tree with no fruit is harder to identify and easy to mislabel, so it helps to know how long it takes to reach fruiting age and how it is usually propagated.
- Years to first fruit
- Seedling 4-6 yrs; grafted 2-3 yrs
- Propagation
- Grafting, seed.
Relatives in the Meliaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
Map your santol trees
CanopyTwin keeps every tree on a map with its species, cultivar, photos and history, and counts flowers and fruit from survey photos. It is built for orchards, nurseries and collectors of tropical and rare fruit.
More identification guides: free plant identifier · tropical fruit tree identifier · fruit tree identifier · all species guides