Planchonia careya - Cocky Apple

What a fascinating looking thing !

So unusual, are they edible?

Yes Carole ... according to the local aboriginal stories ... but I've never tried them. Cockatoos love them ... that's where they get their common name!

I wonder what they taste like ?

They look as if they would be sour... I like the flower better :o))

Bernieh:

What an interesting tree and fruit. I've never heard
or seen this tree before. I'm guessing it's pretty limited
to its native regions?

Yes Andy - it's native to very limited areas of north queensland (my city surrounds have the largest concentration of all) and across to the Northern Territory. Because it's rather a straggley looking tree and the flowers open in the late afternoon and have dropped by morning, it's never been bred for nursery stock.

Bernieh:

Interesting. It's surprising no one has taken it and
developed a denser growing variety.

it tastes a lot like banana, i just made a custard with cocky apple for flavour. they grow wild all over the top end of the northern territory. often right next to green plums, which i suspect is due to people eating both together and spitting seeds. Although the cocky apple looks nasty, it is a lovely flavour. ignor any internet articles which claim it tastes like quince, i think they get it mixed up with many other bush tucker like kakadu plum and quinine berry. Kakadu plum is like chewing unsweetened vit c tablets as its the highest concentration of vit c in the natural world (50 times that in oranges).
Quinine berry is so bitter, two drops in a glass of lemon cordial will make it taste a bit like tonic water....and no it doesnt have quinine in it. it has shikimic acid. it is the highest concentration of shikimic acid (15%) in the natural world.
We have some very amazing plants in the top end, but sadly very few people know them well.

Thanks so much for that, Vulpine. It's fantastic to know. I've never ever tried to taste the fruit, but I'm really intrigued to know that you use them to make custard. Now that's something I'll have to try when the fruit come on again.

It is very sad that those of us who live in the north don't really know all that much about our natives. I really appreciate your input.