Life Span
Perennial
Perennial
Type
Fruits, Trees
Tender Perennial
Origin
Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tropical Indomalaya
North America, Mexico, Latin America and the Caribbean, Caribbean, Central America, South America
Types
Feronia limonia, Limonia acidissima
Cryptanthus 'Absolute Zero'
Cryptanthus 'Agate'
Cryptanthus 'Alberta'
Cryptanthus 'Alpine Frost'
Number of Varieties
1480
0
40000
👆🏻
Habitat
Dry areas
Lowland evergreen rainforest, Rainforest, Shaded sites, Wild
USDA Hardiness Zone
-9999-9999
0
99
👆🏻
AHS Heat Zone
-
-
Sunset Zone
-
-
Habit
-
-
Plant Size
Minimum Height
800.00 cm20.00 cm
0
3900
👆🏻
Minimum Width
900.00 cm15.00 cm
0
6350
👆🏻
Plant Color
Flower Color
White
-
Flower Color Modifier
-
Bicolor
Fruit Color
Greyish Brown, Light Green
-
Leaf Color in Spring
Green
-
Leaf Color in Summer
Dark Green
-
Leaf Color in Fall
Green
-
Leaf Color in Winter
Gray Green
Light Green
Shape
Leaf Shape
Ovate
Linear
Thorns
✔
✘
✔
✘
Plant Season
Autumn
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Growing Conditions
Sunlight
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Growth Rate
Medium
-
Type of Soil
Rich
-
The pH of Soil
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Drainage
Well drained
-
Bloom Time
Late Fall
-
Repeat Bloomer
✔
✘
✔
✘
Tolerances
Drought
Drought
Where to Plant?
Ground, Pot
Container, Ground, Pot
How to Plant?
Budding, Layering, root cutting, Seedlings
Cuttings, Leaf Cutting, Seedlings
Plant Maintenance
Low
Medium
Watering Plants
Watering Requirements
Do not water excessively
Average Water Needs, Do not water excessively, Keep the Soil well drained
In Summer
Lots of watering
Lots of watering
In Spring
Moderate
Moderate
In Winter
Average Water
Average Water
Soil
Soil pH
Acidic, Neutral
-
Soil Type
Rich
-
Soil Drainage Capacity
Well drained
-
Sun Exposure
Full Sun, Partial Sun
-
Pruning
Prune after harvesting, Remove dead or diseased plant parts
Pinch or prune as they grow to promote branching and bushiness, Pinching, Remove damaged leaves, Remove dead branches, Remove dead leaves
Fertilizers
for fruiting plants, use high phosphorous content fertilizer
Does not require fertilizer once established
Pests and Diseases
-
Pests and diseases free, Red blotch
Plant Tolerance
Drought
Variety of soil types
Flowers
✔
✘
✔
✘
Flower Petal Number
Single
Single
Fruits
Showy Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Edible Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrance
Fragrant Flower
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Fruit
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Leaf
✔
✘
✔
✘
Fragrant Bark/Stem
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Foliage
✔
✘
✔
✘
Showy Bark
✔
✘
✔
✘
Foliage Texture
Medium
-
Foliage Sheen
Matte
-
Evergreen
✔
✘
✔
✘
Invasive
✔
✘
✔
✘
Self-Sowing
✔
✘
✔
✘
Attracts
-
Ladybug beetles, Mealybugs, Scale Insects
Allergy
Gastric
-
Uses
Aesthetic Uses
-
Beautification, Borders, Decorating walls, Ground Cover
Beauty Benefits
Good Cleanser
-
Edible Uses
✔
✘
✔
✘
Environmental Uses
-
Air purification
Plant Benefits
Medicinal Uses
Blood cleanser, Diabetes, Ear ache, Energy, Kidney problems, Liver Protection, Malaria, Respiratory Disorders, Snakebite
-
Part of Plant Used
Fruits
-
Other Uses
Used As Food, Used for its medicinal properties
Used as Ornamental plant, useful as a ground cover
Used As Indoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Used As Outdoor Plant
✔
✘
✔
✘
Garden Design
Edible, Fruit Tree
-
Botanical Name
Limonia acidissima
CRYPTANTHUS
Common Name
Wood apple, monkey fruit, curd fruit
Cryptanthus, Earth Star
In Hindi
कबिट
Earth Star
In German
Indischer Holzapfel
Erdstern
In French
Kawista
Terre étoile
In Spanish
Kawista
estrella de la tierra
In Greek
γλυκό ασβέστη
γη αστεριών
In Portuguese
Limonia
Estrela da terra
In Polish
Feronia słoniowa
Gwiazda ziemi
In Latin
dulcis ad cinerem
terra, stella
Kingdom
Plantae
Plantae
Phylum
Magnoliophyta
Tracheophyta
Class
Magnoliopsida
Liliopsida
Order
Sapindales
Bromeliales
Family
Rutaceae
Bromeliaceae
Genus
Limonia
Cryptanthus
Clade
Angiosperms, Eudicots
Angiosperms, Commelinids, Monocots
Tribe
Citreae
-
Subfamily
Aurantioideae
Bromelioideae
Number of Species
150
1
27800
👆🏻