Spondias mombin

Spondias mombin, or Yellow Mombin, is a flowering tree native tropical America. It is deciduous with a dense and spreading crown and grows up to 25 m tall and at least 60 cm in trunk diameter. The bark is thick. The leaves are compound, comprising five to nine pairs of leaflets. The flowers occur on terminal stalks. The fruits, small and yellow, have leathery skin and thin layer of pulp, and single-seeded. The pulp can be eaten fresh or made into desserts or juice. The young leaves are consumed raw or cooked. Seeds are also edible. Medicinally, S. mombin is used in traditional medicine against lower back pain, rheumatism, digestive track problems, angina, sore throat, malarial fever, diarrhea, urethritis, gonorrhea, stomach pain, colds, dysentery, laryngitis, ophthalmia, and many others. Root ashes are used in making soap. The wood is used for posts, boxes, matches, general carpentry, tool handles, etc.

Spondias mombin is a deciduous Tree growing to 20 m by 20 m at a fast rate.
It is hardy to zone 10 and is frost tender. The flowers are pollinated by Bees.
Suitable for: medium and heavy soils, prefers well-drained soil and can grow in heavy clay soil. Suitable pH: acid, neutral and basic soils and can grow in very acid soils.
It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil.

The plant grows best in the subhumid and frost-free tropics, where it can be found at elevations up to 1,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 27°c, but can tolerate 13 - 35°c. The plant is severely damaged by frost. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,000 - 2,000mm, but tolerates 600 - 2,800mm. It can succeed in areas with widely distributed rainfall, or with a marked dry season. Requires a sunny position. Prefers a medium to heavy, well-drained, fertile soil. Plants are not too fussy over soil, not needing very fertile conditions. However, very poor soil, or shallow land, is unsuitable. Prefers a pH in the range 5.5 - 6.5, tolerating 4.3 - 8. A fast-growing tree, easily reaching a height of 3.5 metres within 2 years from seed. Fruiting usually starts when seedling trees are about 5 years of age, although well-kept cuttings may start fruiting earlier. Some ripe fruit can be found on the tree during most of the year. Plants produce a deep taproot when young and also have a shallower root system near the surface when older. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring Mid Spring Late Spring/Early Summer. Bloom Color: White/Near White Cream/Tan.