Native & adapted

Hog plum

Spondias mombin

Also known as Yellow mombin · Jobo · Ciruela amarilla · Cajá

A fast, deciduous tropical tree with small, tangy yellow plums. Large in the tropics, but usually much smaller and frost limited in Phoenix.

EdibleFruitingDeciduousFast growingFrost tender

Landscape layersUpper canopy

Mature size

20–30 ft tall and 15–20 ft wide in Phoenix

Climate fit

Urban core · USDA 9b–10a

Plant spacing

20 ft from other trees

Frost

Damaged at 32°F; young trees killed by hard frost.

Special categories

EDIBLE

Hardiness guidance

USDA 10b–11; damaged near 32°F

Winter chill

None

Typical harvest

Late summer into fall.

Before you plant

These conditions determine whether it will thrive.

Soil chemistry

Tolerates a range of soils if they drain.

Required microclimate

Placement is part of the growing system.

Warm, frost-protected site with room for a tree.

Cold hardiness

Cover while young

UF/IFAS says young Spondias trees can die at 29 to 30°F, while mature trees take a few hours near 25°F with some leaf and twig damage. Cover it through its first few winters; once it's a big tree you can't cover it, so accept some twig dieback in a hard freeze.

Leaves and wood: damaged below 30°F · Blossoms and fruit: below 40°F

Heat tolerance

Shade from late-afternoon sun

Morton calls it strictly tropical but well adapted to arid as well as humid zones, so it should take full sun with deep water. Paint the trunk of young trees, since thin Spondias bark sunburns in Phoenix.

Sources:

edis.ifas.ufl.edu , growables.com

Right plant, right place

Will Hog plum grow at your Arizona property?

Grows easily from large cuttings. Drops leaves in the cool season.

Best regional fit: Urban core · USDA 9b–10a.

Light

Sun exposure

Full sun once established; afternoon shade the first summer.

Water

Irrigation

Moderate in the growing season; light while leafless in winter.

Fruit set

Pollination

Self-fertile.

Harvest

How to use it

Fresh, juiced, in sorbets and jellies.

Planting & stewardship

How to help Hog plum thrive

1
Cover young trees on frost nights.
2
Cut water back while it is leafless.
3
Prune to keep fruit within reach.
4
Pick up dropped fruit to avoid flies.

Read the horticultural reference ↗