Anacardiaceae
How to identify an ambarella tree
Spondias dulcis · also called golden apple, June plum (Caribbean), kedondong (Indonesian/Malay)
A crisp, tart-sweet golden fruit around a fibrous, spiny seed, eaten ripe or green with salt and pepper. A popular Caribbean and Pacific street fruit; actual fruiting timing varies significantly by region despite the 'June plum' name.
Field marks
These features are typical of the genus Spondias, so they help confirm you are looking at the right group; the fruit and the details below separate the species.
- Leaves are pinnately compound with paired leaflets and one at the tip, and are often shed in the dry season.
- Fruit are plum-like drupes around a large, fibrous or hard stone. The genus is in the same family as mango.
Check a photo
Photograph one whole, mature leaf from above, or a flower or fruit, and the identifier will return ranked matches. If ambarella 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
- Melanesia / Polynesia, widely spread through the tropics
- USDA zones
- 10b-11
- Climate
- Tropical lowland, wind-tolerant.
- Fruiting season
- August, September and October (typical, Northern Hemisphere)
- How often grown
- Uncommon in cultivation
Fruit is the most reliable way to confirm an identification, so August, September and October 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 ~3-5 yrs
- Propagation
- Seed; large cuttings.
Relatives in the Anacardiaceae family
Close relatives share many features, so these are the most likely mix-ups.
Map your ambarella 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