''Dillenia philippinensis'' (katmon) is endemic to the

Philippines The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no), * bik, Republika kan Filipinas * ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas * cbk, República de Filipinas * hil, Republ ...

and can be used for urban greening. Its fruit is known as elephant apple. Katmon grows in low to medium altitude forests throughout the Philippines, but does not survive the cold climates of the uplands. Katmon is featured on the reverse side of the

Philippine twenty-five centavo coin The Philippine twenty-five-centavo coin (25¢) coin is the third-lowest denomination coin of the Philippine peso. During Spanish administration, coins valued at 1/4 a ''Spanish dollar (or peso)'' or two '' reales'' issued by Spain and Spanish Ame ...

since 2018 as part of the New Generation Currency Coin Series.

Description

Katmon is a medium-sized

evergreen In botany, an evergreen is a plant which has foliage that remains green and functional through more than one growing season. This also pertains to plants that retain their foliage only in warm climates, and contrasts with deciduous plants, which ...

tree that grows as high as 10 to 15 meters. Its trunk is erect and the branches usually start midway of the trunk. The tree is buttress-forming, evergreen, and shade tolerant. The bark is smooth with shallow fissures. The leaves are leathery, shining, ovate, elliptic or oblong-ovate, about 12 to 25 centimeters long, and coarsely toothed at the margins. Its flowers are white, large, showy, and about 15 centimeters in diameter with reddish

pistil Gynoecium (; ) is most commonly used as a collective term for the parts of a flower that produce ovules and ultimately develop into the fruit and seeds. The gynoecium is the innermost whorl of a flower; it consists of (one or more) ''pistils'' ...

s and

stamen The stamen (plural ''stamina'' or ''stamens'') is the pollen-producing reproductive organ of a flower. Collectively the stamens form the androecium., p. 10 Morphology and terminology A stamen typically consists of a stalk called the filame ...

s. The edible fruits are rounded, about six to eight centimeters in diameter, with large fleshy

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coined b ...

s tightly enclosing the true fruit.

Uses

The fruit, called "elephant apple", has a diameter that is around five to six centimeters. It contains a soft, fleshy, green, and edible pulp with a flavor similar to a sour green apple. It is used to make sauces, jams, and flavoring for fish. The fruit's acid is mixed with sugar to make a traditional cure for cough. It is also used to clean the hair. The tree is harvested for its timber as it is suitable for furniture and cabinet making. The wood has a beautiful silver grain similar to a quartered oak. A red dye can also be obtained from the bark.

References

External links

*http://www.fruitipedia.com/katmon_dillenia_philippinensis.htm {{Taxonbar, from=Q6377702 Trees of the Philippines philippinensis Plants described in 1884