Cannonball Tree

The cannonball tree is a large rainforest tree of the Brazil-nut family, known for the long, twisting, tentacle-like branchlets that emerge directly from the lower trunk. These carry large, fleshy, highly fragrant flowers, red to orange inside and yellow outside, with a pollen-bearing structure reminiscent of a sea anemone; each lasts only a day. The flowers are followed by heavy, round, woody fruits the size and shape of a cannonball, whose pulp gives off an unpleasant fermented smell when they fall and split.