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Scotch attorney

Clusia rosea, Clusiaceae

Sources last read 14 September 2026.

Not yet rated How forgiving it is has not been judged here yet.

Also called balsam apple, balsam fig, copey, fat pork tree, pitch apple and star of night.

Scotch attorney (Clusia rosea), the whole plant.
Forest & Kim Starr, CC BY 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Toxicity is partly unassessed

  • Not assessed for cats. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for dogs. This plant is not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.
  • Not assessed for people. RHS publishes no harm statement for this plant. That is not a finding of safety: none of the sources read for this site gives an answer either way. Treat it as unknown.

What the sources say about its care

Light
Full sun, Partial shade
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Water
Moist but well-drained
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Humidity

No source read publishes a humidity figure for any plant on this site. What follows is general guidance for foliage plants.

ASHRAE recommends indoor relative humidity between 30% and 60% 30–60%
Penn State Extension · read 13 September 2026
Temperature

How cold this tolerates, not what it prefers. No source read for this site publishes a preferred range for a plant indoors.

H1A — warmer than 15°C 15 °C
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Soil
Loam, Sand; pH Acid or Alkaline or Neutral
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to cats
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Toxic to dogs
Not on the ASPCA list. That is not a finding of safety.
ASPCA · read 13 September 2026
Harmful to people
No statement of harm to people is published for this plant; that absence is not evidence it is safe.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Routine care

Watering
In summer water generously; in winter keep the compost barely moist.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Feeding
While in growth, feed weekly with a balanced liquid fertiliser until flower buds form.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Repotting
Avoid frequent repotting: these plants dislike root disturbance and need confined roots to encourage flowers.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Propagation
In summer, root softwood cuttings with bottom heat, or air layer in spring or summer.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pruning
Follow pruning group 1; pruning promotes branching and a bushier plant.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Pests and diseases
Can be troubled by mealybugs, scale insects and glasshouse red spider mite. Diseases: usually none.
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Move something and watch

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Close view of Scotch attorney (Clusia rosea) foliage.
Close upAfimaame, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

About the plant

Clusia rosea, the autograph tree, copey, cupey, balsam apple, pitch-apple, and Scotch attorney, is an evergreen, tropical and sub-tropical flowering plant species in the family Clusiaceae. The name Clusia major is sometimes misapplied to this species.

From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0 · read 13 September 2026

Native range
Florida to Venezuela and Ecuador
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Trop. & Subtrop. Am.
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Climate
wet tropical
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Growth form
tree
World Checklist of Vascular Plants, June 2026 release, CC BY.
Kew WCVP · read 13 September 2026
Bushy (evergreen)
RHS · read 13 September 2026
Size
Height 0.5-1 metres; spread 0.5-1 metres after 2–5 years
RHS · read 13 September 2026

Plants with similar care

Sources

What this does not cover

The figures above are what published sources say, not measurements of the plant in your room. They say nothing about your pot size, your water, the season, or how far from the glass the plant stands, and those decide more than any figure here does.

Humidity has no species figure because no source read for this site publishes one, and the only temperature published for this plant is a cold floor. The simulator fills those gaps with general figures for its kind of plant, marked as general and listed on how we read sources. Where a toxicity row says the plant was not assessed, that is the absence of a finding and not a finding of safety.

If something is already wrong, the diagnosis tool asks about the soil, the window and the watering, which is where the answer usually is.