Diospyros discolor Willd.

Etymology	Genus	Divine fruit
	Species	Of two different colours
Family		Ebenaceae
Synonyms		Diospyros blancoi A.DC., Diospyros merrillii Elmer, Diospyros utilis Hemsl.
Common Names		Butter Fruit, Velvet Apple, Mabolo
Status		Exotic: Cultivated Only
Form		Tree
Native Distribution		Philippines

Diagnostics

Diospyros discolor is a common cultivated tree along our streetscape and parks. It has a distinctive primary branching that extends about 45 degrees. The leaves are long, elliptic and have a heart-shaped base. The underside is greyish green.

Interesting Facts

The fruit of the Butter Fruit is edible, and said to be mildly sweet (NParks, 2009). It was recorded in Pulau Semakau (Teo et al., 2011), likely to be cultivated by past villagers for its fruits. From my knowledge though, it has not been documented in forest patches which were once abandoned plantations in the mainland.

References

NParks. (2009) Trees of Our Garden City: A Guide to the Common Trees of Singapore. 2nd Edition. National Parks Board, Singapore. 382 pp.
Teo S, RKH Yeo, KY Chong, YF Chung, L Neo & HTW Tan, (2011) The flora of Pulau Semakau: a Project Semakau checklist. Nature in Singapore, 4: 263-272.