# Seven-year Apple (*Casasia clusiifolia*)

The Seven-year Apple is a special plant that can grow delicious fruits! It has shiny leaves and can be found in warm places. Kids love to explore its unique shape and colors.

- **Category:** [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/categories/plant)
- **Rarity:** Common
- **Danger:** 1/5 · Very low
- **Habitat:** Tropical areas

![Seven-year Apple](https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=Special:Redirect/file/Cayos_pict101.jpg&width=800)

Photo: Louise Wolff ( darina ), CC BY-SA 3.0 · [Wikimedia Commons](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cayos_pict101.jpg)

## Appearance

The Seven-year Apple is an evergreen shrub or small tree with glossy, dark green leaves. It features fragrant, star-shaped white flowers and later develops hard, apple-like yellow-orange fruits. Its upright form and dense foliage make it visually distinctive.

## Taxonomy

- **Kingdom:** Plantae
- **Phylum:** Tracheophyta
- **Class:** Magnoliopsida
- **Order:** Gentianales
- **Family:** Rubiaceae
- **Genus:** Casasia

## Interesting facts

- Even after falling, its buoyant fruits can float across water to find new homes!
- Its fruits are so tough, they can take months to ripen into a sweet treat!
- The "apple" part of its name comes from its hard, round, green-yellow fruits!
- This plant is a survivor, growing right on salty beaches where others can't!

## Special abilities

- **Coastal Guardian:** Seven-year Apple can grow robustly in salty soil and air, helping it colonize sunny coastlines.
- **Water Saver:** Seven-year Apple has thick, leathery leaves that reduce water loss, allowing it to thrive in dry conditions.
- **Pollinator Magnet:** Seven-year Apple produces clusters of fragrant white flowers that attract a variety of helpful insects.

## Measurements & details

- **Height:** 200-700 cm
- **Spread:** 150-500 cm
- **Flower Size:** 1-2.5 cm
- **Bloom Season:** Spring to summer
- **Edible:** Yes
- **Toxicity:** None
- **Lifecycle:** Perennial
- **Pollination Method:** Insect

## Ecological connections

- **Pollinates:** Honey Bee (*Apis mellifera*) — collects nectar from flowers
- **Pollinates:** [Monarch Butterfly](https://www.snappit.app/explore/monarch-butterfly) (*Danaus plexippus*) — sips nectar from blossoms
- **Eaten by:** [American Robin](https://www.snappit.app/explore/american-robin) (*Turdus migratorius*) — enjoys the sweet, ripe fruits
- **Eaten by:** [Raccoon](https://www.snappit.app/explore/raccoon) (*Procyon lotor*) — forages for fallen fruits

## Traits

- [Flowering](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/flowering): Flowering plants are any plants that produce flowers as part of their reproductive cycle.
- [Evergreen](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/evergreen): Evergreen plants retain their foliage throughout the year, never shedding all their leaves at once.
- [Fruit Bearing](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-bearing): Fruit-bearing plants produce fruits, which are the mature ovaries of flowering plants containing seeds.
- [Fruit Tree](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/fruit-tree): A fruit tree is a perennial tree that produces fruit, which is edible to humans or animals.
- [Colorful](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/colorful): Colorful describes organisms or objects displaying a wide range of bright and distinct colors.
- [Edible](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/edible): Edible plants are those parts of a plant that are considered safe for human consumption.
- [Pollinator Magnet](https://www.snappit.app/explore/traits/pollinator-magnet): Describes plants that are particularly attractive and beneficial to a wide range of pollinating organisms.

## Collections

- [Plants](https://www.snappit.app/explore/collections/plants)

## Safety

**Danger:** 1/5 · Very low

Always wash your hands after touching plants, and ask an adult before tasting any fruit.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### How to identify Seven-year Apple?

Start with the whole plant, then compare leaf arrangement, leaf edges, stems and any flowers or fruit. Opposite leaves grow in pairs; alternate leaves come one at a time along the stem. These details tell you far more together than a single green leaf does. Plant Identifier: upload a photo and compare the visible details.

### How tall is Seven-year Apple?

200-700 cm

### How wide does Seven-year Apple spread?

150-500 cm

### How big are the flowers on Seven-year Apple?

1-2.5 cm

### When does Seven-year Apple bloom?

Spring to summer

### Is Seven-year Apple edible?

Yes

### Is Seven-year Apple toxic?

None

### What is Seven-year Apple's lifecycle?

Perennial

## More Plants

- [white snakeroot](https://www.snappit.app/explore/white-snakeroot) (*Ageratina altissima*)
- [tree-of-heaven](https://www.snappit.app/explore/tree-of-heaven) (*Ailanthus altissima*)
- [western sword fern](https://www.snappit.app/explore/western-sword-fern) (*Polystichum munitum*)
- [common milkweed](https://www.snappit.app/explore/common-milkweed) (*Asclepias syriaca*)

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Source: [Seven-year Apple: Facts & Places to See — Snappit](https://www.snappit.app/explore/seven-year-apple)