Also known as the cacao or cocoa tree, Theobroma cacoa is a small, evergreen tree that is native to the deep tropical regions of the Americas. It grows up to only 4 to 8 metres tall, and is famous around the world for its seeds which are used to make chocolate and cocoa powder. Its scientific name, Theobroma, means “Food of the... 

Coconuts are part of the Arecaceae family (ie palm family) and is the only accepted species in the Cocos genus. The Coconut tree is a large palm tree that can grow up to 30 metres tall, has pinnate leaves that are about 4 to 6 metres long, and pinnae at 60 to 90 cm long. Its old leaves break away cleanly and leave the trunk smooth.... 

The carambola, also known as the starfruit, is the fruit of the Averrhoa carambola tree. This tree species is native to the Philippines, Indonesia, India, and Sri Lanka. In the Philippines, they are called either ‘saranate’ or ‘balimbing’ depending on how sour it is. This tree is also popular throughout southeast... 

Tangerines are an orange coloured citrus fruit that is a variety of the Mandarin orange. Like mandarins, tangerines are smaller than most oranges and are easier to peel and split into segments. Compared to an orange, it has a sweeter (or less sour or tart) taste. Tangerines growing on a tree This fruit has been cultivated for more... 

Native to China is the peach tree, which is famous for its edible and juicy fruits called a peach. Peach trees are deciduous and grow up to 4 – 10 metres tall. Its leaves are long at between 7 – 16 cm long, and 2-3 cm broad. Its flowers grow in the spring time before the leaves and are pink. The famous peach fruit has either... 

Pitaya, also known as pitahaya, is the fruit of cactus species. It is commonly known as a dragon fruit, strawberry pear, or nanettikafruit. It is native to Central and South America and comes from a vine-like catus. It is also grown in Asian nations like Vietnam, Thailand, Taiwan, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka. They also... 

The purple mangosteen, simply known as ‘mangosteen’ to the rest of the world, is a tropical evergreen tree. It is believed to have origated in the Sunda Islands of Indonesia. Purple mangosteen trees grow up to around 7 to 25 metres tall. They have a hard rind which is a deep purple when it is ripe, and the fruit is edible.... 

Mangoes are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, however they are grown in many tropical and sub-tropical regions worldwide. The word ‘mango’ comes from the Potuguese word ‘manga’, which may have derived from Malayalam word which is also pronounced manga. It was first recorded in the European language by... 

The grapefruit is a fruit from the sub-tropical citrus tree of the same name, which is famous for bearing bitter fruit. When it was found, it was named the ‘forbidden fruit’ and is commonly misidentified as the shaddock or pomelo. It is a hybrid that was first bred in Barbados in the 18th century. Grapefruit on a tree Grapefruit... 

The mandarin orange, commonly known as the mandarin, is a small citrus tree that has fruits that resemble a small orange. However, unlike oranges, the fruit from the mandarin orange tree is not spherical, but is oblate. Mandarin trees are hardy The mandarin orange tree is more tolerant of drought than its fruit. The fruit is tender... 

Apples are the fruit of the apple tree, which is a species in the rose family which blooms perennially. It is one of the most widely grown fruit trees which originated in Western Asia. Its wild ancestor is still found here, however there are 7,500 known cultivars of apples today. Apple trees are small The apple tree is small and... 

Pears come from a perennial fruit tree. It is cultivated in cool, temperate climates and there has been evidence that it has pears were eaten in prehistoric times, as they have been found in Swiss lake dwellings. In addition, pears and its equivalent words occur in all of the Celtic and Slavonic languages. It has also featured in... 

Sweet oranges are a citrus fruit that is actually a hybrid that was cultivated in ancient times, most likely between a pomelo and a mandarin. The orange tree is a small flowering tree that grows up to 10 metres tall and has evergreen leaves. Its leaves are between 4 to 10 centimetres long, and the orange fruit itself is a type of... 

The jackfruit is native to parts of South-East Asia and South Asia. It is a species that is part of the mulberry family. It is also the national fruit of Bangladesh. Its claim to fame is that it is the jackfruit is the largest tree-borne fruit in the world as it can reach up 36kg in weight, 90cm long, and 50cm in diameter. Jackfruits... 

Rambutans are fruits from a medium-sized tree from the tropics. It is native to Malaysia, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, The Philippines, and the rest of South-East Asia. It is believed to be a native Malaysian plant, where it spread upwards to Thailand, Burma, Sri Lanka, India, Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia. Its name derives from...