Burckella obovata Pierre

A tree which can be up to 30 m tall and with buttresses. The trunk can be 3 m across. A white sticky sap is produced from the broken ends of twigs and leaves, which is typical of this family of trees. Leaves tend to be clustered near the ends of branches. Leaves are simple and shiny. The leaf tip is tapered to a point and the base is wedge shaped. The leaf stalk is 1-4 cm long. The flowers occur 20-50 together without flower stalks and in a cluster near the ends of branches. The fruit is large (9 cm across) and green. It has a very thin skin. The flesh is white. Fruit normally have 4 or 5 furrows around it. The fruit has 3-5 cells but often only one or two seeds mature. The seed is oval shaped and about 4 cm long. Fruit shape can vary; some being more round and others more elongated. The fruit are carried near the ends of the branches. The fruit has a sweet smell. Fruit quality varies significantly in size and edibility throughout the regions where the tree occurs. Good fruit have a texture like an avocado and a taste like a sweetsop but less sweet.

A tropical plant. Trees grow wild in coastal areas of Papua New Guinea. They are also planted. It usually grows from sea level to 500 m above sea level. It will probably grow up to about 1100 metres altitude. It occurs in Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. It has been introduced to Fiji.

The fruit is eaten raw. Occasionally the fruit is baked.

Trees are grown from seed. There is normally only one fertile seed in each fruit. Both domesticated and wild trees occur. Trees grow wild in coastal areas. They are also planted.