Dillenia Indica, Elephant Apple, Chulta Stock Photo

Dillenia indica, commonly known as elephant apple or chulta, is a species of Dillenia native to southeastern Asia, from India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka east to southwestern China Yunnan and Vietnam, and south through Thailand to Malaysia and Indonesia. It is an evergreen large shrub or small to medium-sized tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are 15–36 cm long, with a conspicuously corrugated surface with impressed veins. Its branches are used to make good firewood. The flowers are large, 15–20 cm diameter, with five white petals and numerous yellow stamens. Its characteristic round fruits are large, greenish yellow, have many seeds and are edible. The fruit is a 5–12 cm diameter aggregate of 15 carpels, each carpel containing five seeds embedded in an edible but fibrous pulp.