Cannonball Tree

Description:

Found in the Nani Mau botanical gardens Hilo, this Cannonball tree was full of the spherical fruits full of seeds that burst open when they hit the hard ground. The majority of these trees outside their natural environment have been planted as a botanical curiosity, as they grow very large, distinctive flowers. Its flowers are orange, scarlet and pink in color, and form large bunches measuring up to 3m in length. They produce large spherical and woody fruits ranging from 15 to 24 cm in diameter, containing up to 200 or 300 seeds a piece.

Habitat:

This tree was growing in the Nani Mau botanical gardens in Hilo, but the Cannonball Tree is native to the tropical forests of northeastern South America, especially the Amazon Basin and in the tropics such as in India and Thailand.