Need tree I.D. with rock hard grapefruit sized cannanball fruits)

[Walt]

I stumbled upon a bunch of scraggly trees along the side of a country road here in Highlands County, Florida, and the trees had green, grapefruit sized fruits that were as hard as a dense wooden ball. Also, there were fruits lying all over the ground.

I know this is not what is commonly called a cannonball tree, which is tropical, and is sometimes grown in south Florida.

I picked up some fruits plus took some cuttings, so as to try and propagate this tree, only to be used in my garden as a curiosity.

I'd like somebody here to I.D. this tree for me so I can Google it and learn about it.

Below are some photos I took this morning of this tree:

Above photo: Trunks of many trees in question

Edited February 21, 2014 by Walt

[Zeeth]

Well it's a citrus whatever it is.

[Eric in Orlando]

Hmmm. The fruits look like those of Aegle or Afraegle, citrus relatives. But they usually have trifoliate leaves.

[Ken Johnson]

Gourd?

[Walt]

These fruits are like croquet balls! They feel and sound (when dropped on hard surface) like balls of wood. I will need a hack saw to cut one in two. I will do that tomorrow to see what I find.

[virtualpalm]

Could be a type of calabash.

[Walt]

Here's another photo I took (slightly blown up, as I took it from the window of my truck (from a distance) as I was leaving.

I don't even know how to Google to try and find the species of this tree. I can tell you, you wouldn't want to get beaned on the head from a falling fruit. These things are rock hard.

[Walt]

Also, note the coral colored flowers growing beneath the trees I need I.D.d. Can somebody tell me what they are? Just curious as to why they are growing where they are. Are they native?

Close up view below:

[_Keith]

I am thinking Bael (Aegle marmelos)

[Trava]

It is Calabash tree

[Eric in Orlando]

Walt, is it thorny? Bael is thorny, Calabash isn't

[Eric in Orlando]

The other plant with orange flowers is Kalanchoe pinnata. It is an old heirloom plant that has naturalized.

[Walt]

Walt, is it thorny? Bael is thorny, Calabash isn't

The branches do have thorns about 1/2" to 5/8" long.

Yes, Kalanchoe, I thought they looked familar. I now recall growing them back in my wooded area about 10 years ago. I guess it died out as I forgot all about it. Thanks for your info.

[Walt]

I am thinking Bael (Aegle marmelos)

You thought correctly!

[fastfeat]

I'm not convinced that this is Aegle marmelos. I don't see any trifoliate leaves.

Walt, maybe you can cut a twig and lay it flat for a pic? Also, inside shot of the fruit would be helpful.

[Walt]

I'm not convinced that this is Aegle marmelos. I don't see any trifoliate leaves.

Walt, maybe you can cut a twig and lay it flat for a pic? Also, inside shot of the fruit would be helpful.

I was discussing this tree with a master gardener friend of mine and he also questioned the leaves. Perhaps it's some other species of Aegle. I took one of the older, discolored fruits and slammed it down on a concrete paver in my greenhouse to break it open. Inside it was a yellowish mush with butterbean sized and colored seed. Today I will break a fresh (nice green looking) fruit and take a photo of it and post here. As far as cutting a twig, the trees are about 10 miles from me and I won't be going by them anytime soon.

[Walt]

I'm not convinced that this is Aegle marmelos. I don't see any trifoliate leaves.

Walt, maybe you can cut a twig and lay it flat for a pic? Also, inside shot of the fruit would be helpful.

Today I broke open the bigger of the two fruits pictured below (old pruners used for scale). I then took all the gooey pulp and seeds (photo two below) and put them in a bucket of water and cleaned the seeds. The thrid photo shows the cleaned seeds. I will let the seeds dry out for a day or two and then plant some in a pot and see if they sprout.

[fastfeat]

Interior of the fruit looks like Aegle.

Maybe the leaves are trifoliate but just not apparent from the photos.

[MattyB]

If you take a leaf of that Kalanchoe and lay it flat on the surface of some soil, it'll grow roots. I discovered this accidentally when a leaf dropped into a pot.