The large, plate-shaped leaves of the balsam apple impress even from a distance. But it's worth taking a closer look. A flower is hidden between the green foliage.
The Clusia blooms extremely rarely in our latitudes
Facts about the blossom of the balsam apple
- Colour: white, partly tinged with pink
- Flowering time: mostly in summer
- Shape: obovate
- Size: about 7.5 cm wide
food source for insects
Did you know that the Clusia has male, female and hermaphroditic flowers? Female flowers secrete a sticky secretion whose sweetness attracts insects. Male flowers also produce a sticky sap. In the case of the females, however, the sweet scent is more pronounced. It lives up to the name of the plant, because the vanilla-like aroma is truly balm for the soul.
Rare spectacle
The balsam apple is one of the non-native ornamental plants. The succulent originally comes from South America. Due to the unfamiliar climatic conditions with which he has to put up with in this country, the flower only appears in very rare cases.