This tropical fruit tree is the Golden Apple, Spondias dulcis. It is also known as Ambarella, June Plum, Otaheite Apple and Polynesian Plum. It belongs to the cashew family, Anacardiaceae, along with mango and cashew. The species originated in tropical Asia and the Pacific but has been carried widely through the tropics and is now well established in the Caribbean.

Golden Apple usually grows as a medium-sized tree with a broad, open crown. Its branches may be somewhat brittle, and older trees can develop an irregular, spreading form.

The leaves are large and compound, made up of many smooth, pointed leaflets arranged along a central stalk. New growth may emerge bronze, reddish or purplish before becoming bright green.

In a pronounced dry season, the tree may shed many of its leaves. Fresh foliage and flowers often appear as conditions become warmer or wetter.

The flowers are very small, pale cream or greenish-white and produced in large branching clusters. Although they are not especially showy, they are followed by the tree’s distinctive fruits.

Golden Apples grow in hanging clusters and are usually oval, with green skin that turns yellow or golden as the fruit ripens. The flesh is crisp and tart when young, becoming softer, juicier and sweeter with maturity.

At the center is a large, fibrous stone with stiff projections extending into the surrounding flesh. For that reason, the fruit is usually eaten carefully by slicing around the stone rather than biting deeply into it.

The fruit may be eaten fresh, often with salt or seasoning, and is also used for juices, preserves, chutneys, sauces and pickles. In the Caribbean, green fruits are especially popular in savory preparations, while fully ripe fruit may be enjoyed for its sweet-tart flavor. Kew records the species as having food, medicinal and other practical uses.

Because it belongs to the cashew family, the sap may irritate the skin of sensitive people. The fruit is familiar and widely eaten, but branches and unripe fruit should still be handled thoughtfully.

Golden Apple is a good example of a plant that has become culturally important far beyond its original home. Although it came from the Asian-Pacific region, it is now so familiar in Caribbean gardens and markets that many people regard it as part of the local landscape.

When the tree is carrying fruit, the clusters may contain every stage at once—from small green fruit to large golden-yellow apples—making the entire fruiting cycle easy to observe.