Edible portion: Fruit
A small deciduous tree up to 6 -10 m tall. In some locations trees keep their leaves throughout the year. It has a brown velvety tomentum on the under surface of the leaves. The leaves are 8-20 cm long and up to 10 cm wide. There is a single leaflet. The flowers occur either singly or 2-3 together along the branches. The female parts of the flower open first then the male parts. The fruit is 8-15 cm across with black or brown seeds in white flesh. The fruit is cone or heart shaped. It can be 10-20 cm long by 10 cm wide. Fruit can weigh 0.5 kg. The skin can have finger like markings. The flesh is juicy and each segment has one seed. There can be 20-40 large brown seeds in each fruit.
A tropical and subtropical plant. It suits the highland tropics. It grows at higher altitudes in the equatorial tropics. It can grow up to 2,000 m altitude in tropical areas. They suit places with cool nights. It is better suited to a dry climate but not desert. It is a subtropical or warm temperate plant. In Colombia it grows between 1,600-1,900 m above sea level. It can only tolerate light frosts. Young trees are very frost sensitive. They need 50 to 100 hours of mild chilling to remain productive. Trees do best in a sunny position. A pH of 6.5 to 7.6 is best. It can grow in arid places. It suits hardiness zones 10-12. In Yunnan.