
Cannonball Tree
Couroupita guianensis
“Flowers erupt directly from the trunk. Fruit weighs 5 pounds. Sacred in India.”
The flowers don't grow on the branches — they erupt on long rope-like stalks directly from the main trunk, in clusters of waxy pink, orange, and yellow blooms with a complex structure found nowhere else. The fruit that follows is a large, hard, brown sphere — a cannonball, exactly. Sacred to Shiva in Hindu tradition. Zone 10–11 in the ground, container-worthy in Zone 9. The fragrance is extraordinary. The structure is impossible.
USDA Zone
10–13
Climate Type
Tropical
Af, Am, Aw
Mature Size
60–100 feet
Native Region
South America & Caribbean
Climate Compatibility
This tree performs well in Tropical climates (Köppen codes: Af, Am, Aw).
Learn How Climate Zones Work →