| Clusia major | |
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| Clusia major | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Clusiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Clusioideae |
| Tribe: | Clusieae |
| Genus: | Clusia |
| Species: | C. major |
| Binomial name | |
| Clusia major |
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| Synonyms | |
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C. rosea Jacq. (1760) |
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Clusia major (synonym: Clusia rosea), the autograph tree, copey, balsam apple, pitch-apple, and Scotch attorney, is a tropical and sub-tropical plant species in the genus Clusia.
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Clusia major is a tree found in the Caribbean, including the Bahamas, Hispaniola, Cuba, and Puerto Rico - such as in Los Haitises National Park. It is a hemiepiphyte plant. [1] The flowers are white. The upper leaf tissue registers 'writing' giving it the common name autograph tree. The tree produces a fleshy, light green but poisonous fruit; once the fruit has split, the seeds are favored by birds and other wildlife. Clusia major has become a great threat to Sri Lanka, Hawaii, and many other countries as an invasive plant. In Florida, however, it is a popular and useful ornamental that has not escaped cultivation. In Sri Lanka it's known as ගල් ගොරක or ගල් ඉද්ද in Sinhala.
This plant is cultivated as an ornamental plant, for its flowers, foliage, and fruit. It is planted in gardens as a fruiting and ornamental tree in sub-tropical climates, and used as a houseplant in many climates. [2]
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