Diospyros blancoi
EBENACEAE. Indigenous. Critically endangered
SIZE: Up to 15m tall; trunk size 40cm diameter
TYPE: Evergreen
HABITAT: Primary and secondary forests up to 800m altitude
Its creamy and sweet, yellow-deep red fruit is called mabolo, also known as the velvet apple or butter-fruit. The mabolo fruit is not popular among Filipinos, but it is commonly cultivated in the rest of Southeast Asia. Kamagong wood is used in the Philippines by house builders, carpenters and artisans. Previously, the kamagong was thought to be endemic to our country until the same species was found in Taiwan.