Elephant Apple
Dillenia indica
Chalta is an evergreen tree with large, deeply veined leaves, big white flowers and round green fruit made of fleshy, sour sepals, used in Bengali chutneys and Assamese curries.
Photo: Manjur545 · CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Essential Care Requirements
Light
Full sun, Partial sun
Watering
Moderate
Water young trees regularly; it likes moist soil and grows naturally along streams.
Soil
Moist, fertile soil; pH 5.5–7.0.
Temperature and humidity
8–40 °C · High humidity
Feeding
Feed young trees with compost before the monsoon.
Pruning and propagation
Propagate by seed
Little pruning needed.
The fruit is safe to eat when cooked.
Top Cultivation Tips
Beautiful ornamental tree for large gardens.
Fruit falls when ripe.
Use the outer fleshy sepals, not the hard core.
Elephants and monkeys love the fruit in the wild.
Common problems
Caterpillars
The larvae of moths and butterflies, which chew holes in leaves, flowers and fruit and can strip a plant in days.
How to treat it →DiseaseLeaf spot
Fungal or bacterial infections that cause brown, black or purple spots on leaves, often with a yellow halo, leading to early leaf drop.
How to treat it →
