Apet

About

Common Names

Apet / Sour Pear

Classification

Tree

Description

Apet is both the name of the tree and its edible pear shaped fruit. The tree can grow up to three metres in height, forms multiple trunks, with ordered branching. They have scaly bark with a solid white colouration. They are anchored in the rocky soils with a main tap root. Clusters of up to fourteen black striped, cuneate leaves with lobate margins, parallel venation, and velvety upper and lower surfaces form at the terminus of the branches. The tree forms flowers at the branching points in pairs of small cone shaped flowers, with six venated blade-like petals, a dozen paired stamens and pistils. The flowers are iridescent silver in colour, and bear a sweet fruity scent.

Ecology

Rarity

Common

Distribution

Naturally found exclusive to the Isk Archepelago, some propagated trees are found in or near settlements in old Krolar or other coastal sites.

Life Cycle

The apet tree flowers twice perennially, in the spring and again in mid-summer. The fruit forms small three centimetre by five centimetre tear drop shaped yellowish skin and soft juicy white inner flesh with a tart flavour.

Related Species

None, although varietals exist across the regions in which these trees are cultivated.

Uses

Cultivation

Domestic orchards of Apet fruit are common in Iskander.

Culinary

• Fruit - The fruit is edible with soft white flesh and a tart flavour, and is commonly pressed for sweet nectar.
• Alcohol - Apet fruit is the primary ingredient for making Apetil, a fermented cider drink popular in Iskander.

Medicinal

No known medicinal uses.

Other

The bark of this tree can be ground to powder and used as an emollient.

History

Cultural

The flowers of this tree are associated with rebirth and new beginnings; as such they are often used by Iskandeans to decorate the doorways of houses.

Religious

Apet fruit is one of the three sacred foods in the Domic religion.