SAIDA QAISER

A tall tree with relatively smooth wall and soft wood. Leaves oblong, obovate, elliptic or broadly lanceolate, ± entire, 10-16 cm long, 4-6 cm broad, acute. Flowers yellow and red tinged, fragrant, 8-15 cm across, arranged in 40-70 cm long racemes. Petals fleshy, 3-5 cm long, 2-3 cm wide, oblong-ovate. Androphore large, spathulate, ± cream coloured. Stigmatic disc stellate. Fruit nearly globular, 15-20 cm in diameter, reddish-brown, hard outside, pulpy inside.

Fl. Per.: Almost throughout the year.

Type: Described from Guiana.

Distribution: A native of Guiana, cultivated in Pakistan and elsewhere.

The reddish-brown fruits of the cannonball tree are larger than a cricket ball and very conspicuous. When the wind blows, the hard shelled fruits knock against each other and sound like a cannonade-hence the name cannonball tree.