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The word ‘tropical fruits’ usually refers to those fruits which are now an everyday sight in temperate countries such as bananas, mangoes, papayas, pineapples and so forth. But the famous prodigality of tropical flora produces much more delicious goodies which will usually be found only on local markets in exotic countries.
I will therefore introduce here some tropical fruits which are not usually offered in supermarkets either because they are not commercially grown or because of handling and transporting difficulties they may involve. As I live on this remote tropical island of Reunion, I will emphasize on fruits which are to be found here and there in old gardens and orchards, a vanishing part of our heritage.
All right now, let us put a good straw-hat on and move on to the garden ; on the right we have this handsome shrub with lustrous dark leaves, bearing small black shiny fruits looking like cherries. Indeed, this is the ‘Brasilian cherry' or ‘grumichama', which berries have a juicy red or orange flesh, with a very delicate taste. Eugenia brasiliensis belongs to the large Myrtaceae family, just like this other plant on its right, Eugenia uniflora or ‘Surinam cherry'. Its fruits have a rather different look, ripening orange or red, with eight characteristic ribs, hence the French name of ‘cerise à côtes' (ribbed cherry). Note that both species can be easily grown from seed and make nice house plants, having a reasonable size for indoor use.
You will have to lift somewhat your head to appreciate next species as this one is a tree up to fifteen meters (forty-five feet) high, Syzygium jambos, from Indo-Malaysia, produces the ‘rose apple' which does taste like rose, a delicate fruit though a terrible invader which overtakes whole gullies in wet parts of the island. The rose apple is another member of the Myrtaceae.
Let us now switch to a different family, the Annonaceae, all of which are native to tropical America so that you may have enjoyed the fruit in Chichicastenango or in Cozumel...This strange looking one bristly with soft spines grows directly on the trunk or on main branches, a feature known as cauliflory, typical of tropical plants. Once open it will reveal a white juicy flesh with a sharp taste, often turned into drinks, this is the sour-sop or prickly custard apple, Annona muricata. The sugar apple stands right after the clump of Heliconias, on your left. Its fruits indeed are sweet and have to be eaten really ripe, once they start opening. The Annona squamosa is more adapted to dry areas than A. muricata and can also be grown as house plant.
Your nose has probably already warned you that over ripe fruits of Artocarpus heterophylus are scattered on the floor...The jackfruit has certainly a smell of its own, reminding of French cheese for the well travelled of you. It is the biggest fruit of all, it can be over two feet long and weight some forty pounds, don't set your hammock there for a nap ! Much grown and enjoyed in tropical countries it can either be used unripe, cooked with smoked meat or eaten raw and is highly nutritious.
No sir, this is not chocolate tree, those pods which do look somewhat like cocoa pods are in fact the fruits of Bombacopsis glabra (formerly Pachira aquatica) a member of the Bombacaeae, the baobab family. Those pods are full of red-brownish nuts which will be eaten raw or grilled, the American chestnut or pachira nut tastes like a mix of chestnut and hazelnut.
Aha ! Here is a rarity, much sough after amongst collectors. This small bush is the Synsepalum dulce, from the Sapotaceae family (a cousin of the chicle tree). It produces small red acidulous fruits which are not that good, so what is the point ? The trick is that it will saturate some taste receptors of your mouth making you taste sweet what is actually acid. So you can chew on a green lime and feel like it is cotton candy, a funny experience but your stomach might no appreciate too much...It is called ‘the miracle fruit'.
Well, we are reaching the end of this part of the garden, let us admire this very beautiful tree, Chrysophyllum caïnito, the star apple. It is prized for its ornamental value ; the leaves are glossy green on top and golden brown on the underside, hence its botanical name (Chryso is greek for gold and phyllum stands for leaves). Growing up to 15m (45 feet) this other member of the Sapotaceae also produces delicious fruits with a soft, sticky and sweet white flesh absolutely unique.
Seeing that today's visitors are real amateurs we will make a short detour to enjoy the famous king of the fruits and fruit of the kings, Garcinia mangostana, the mangosteen. A very slow grower native to Malaysia, this member of the Clusiaceae would justify a trip to Malaysia or Indonesia just to enjoy it (july-august is harvest period). The outside looks like a small cannonball, round and strong, a deep violet colour. Once you open the hard skin it will reveal a pure white flesh with the most delicious taste (sorry, it is absolutely impossible to describe, you have to taste it yourself).
This is it for today, ladies and gentlemen, I hope you have enjoyed the tour and appreciated the fruits. Of course there is much more in other parts of the garden, other tours are scheduled, you are very welcome !
About Jean-Jacques Segalen
I am a Parisian born professional horticulturist specialized in tropical seeds producing, set on Reunion island (just between Mauritius and Madagascar) 17 years ago. I spend a lot of time gathering seeds in the wild, the ones I do not grow that is. Also a dedicated Tai-Chi practitioner and tree climber!
Posted by aww07 (from Siloam Springs, AR) on September 6, 2008 at 10:30 PM:
Hey i am very interested in exotic fruits and other plants for that matter but mainly fruits. If you wouldn't mind sending me some seeds to some tropical fruits I would be more than glad to do experiments on them such as see what soil they can tolerate, What they can hybridize with, and much more. I would see too it that they would become more known in the united states. If you agree to send me some seeds [ Which i would greatly apriciate instead of paying hundreds of dollars to obtain seeds that might not germanit] send me a message once again thank you a lot.
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on September 7, 2008 at 1:15 AM:
Hi,
What tropical fruits do you already grow? Most of what grows here would probably have a hard time in Arizona because of both the heat and dryness, also some seeds (Artocarpus, Syzygium and Eugenia) have a very short life once out of the fruits and may not reach you with a satisfying germination rate. But we can of course give a try with suitable species, let me know about your climate and facilities (green house, conservatory etc) and we'll see what can be done.
Regards
Jean-Jacques Segalen
...
Subject: Amateur gardener with a mangosteen tree!
Posted by GojiGirl (from Newport Center, VT) on May 12, 2008 at 8:10 PM:
Hello Jean-Jacques Segalen
Your article was very inspiring and I was delighted that you mentioned the mangosteen. As a teenager I am a huge novice when it comes to plants and wanted to challenge myself by growing a mangosteen tree in a pot in the state of Vermont! I ordered the mangosteen tree from Puerto Rico and recieved it a week ago. I planted it in a rich organic soil with some peat moss, sand, pine forest soil, garden soil, and earthworm castings. I mulched it with more pine forest soil. Since the humidity here in Vermont is about 30% I covered the mangosteen with a tent of plastic wrap and created two small vent holes for the tree to “breathe.” When I received the tree I noticed that it was chlorotic and realized that in Puerto Rico, it was raised in soil that was too akaline. The tree has been surviving with me for a week now and the only problem I have been having with it is burnt leaf tips on two leaves so I decided to put a small bowl of water inside the tent since I felt that the humidity was still too low. I hope that I am able to keep this plant alive and well and would like to talk to someone like you who is more knowledgeable about this plant than I. I am interested in how you raise mangosteens if you do.
the picture is of the mangosteen a week ago and today, it looks like it is getting greener. the picture might appear cut off.
sincerely, Mallory
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 13, 2008 at 6:06 AM:
Hi Mallory,
Well, you are a challenging person, mangosteen is reputed a difficult one to grow even in the tropics so Vermont is another world for it! I do not grow any myself, I live at 650m high which is way too high for this species, I can only grow avocados, lichees, mangoes and bananas here...Mangosteen is very rare here and only found on the East coast, warm and humid all year as the species comes from lowland South-East Asia. I think you should contact people like the Rare Fruits Growers Association in USA, they do have very knowledgeable people who could help better than me!
Best regards
Jean-Jacques
...
Posted by GojiGirl (from Newport Center, VT) on May 14, 2008 at 4:00 PM:
thank you jean jacques, it stinks that you are unable to grow mangosteen in your area, it is indeed a fussy plant but oddly it is doing very well in my pot so far, despite being shipped from puerto rico. usually plants that i recieve from far away countries will end up loosing all of their leaves due to shock but this plant is in fact looking healthier every day and the two burnt tips stopped growing.
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 15, 2008 at 9:28 AM:
Well, you can't grow everything you want and I am already quite happy with all the plants around. Good news about your mangosteen, you sure have green thumbs!
JJ
...
Subject: Indescribable Flavor
Posted by starfarmer (from Ann Arbor, MI) on May 12, 2008 at 2:27 PM:
Thanks for the article!
As far as flavors beyond description...as a child I was very confused by Eugenia uniflora fruits...they were sweet but had an overtone I could only identify as tomato! And then there was another Eugenia, an elongated one with deep purple sour finger-staining skin and sweet, crispy, apple-like flesh that had an hint of eucalyptus to it (I think it was rose apple, which may be a Syzygium these days...). Then there were the Malpighias (Barbados cherry) that REALLY had that weird (to me) tomato overtone and enough vitamin C to last a kid a year!
All of which is to say: don't ask me, just find 'em and try 'em. ;')
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 13, 2008 at 6:01 AM:
Hi Star,
Yes, the Eugenia uniflora has a special taste which you will find if you make tea with the leaves (pretty good to ease fever). The elongated purple one is Syzygium cumini which will color both fingers and tongue a nice blue, while the rose apple is Syzygium jambos (pictured in the article). Taste is such a personal affair anyway!
JJ
...
Subject: tropical fruits
Posted by LADYDAYGLASS (from mOTRIL
(Spain)) on May 12, 2008 at 4:32 AM:
Good morning.
I live on the Costa Tropical in Spain, we have a 2Acre garden full of fruit trees and a very large green house in which I am always trying to grow the impossible but often with some success, I love a challenge in growing fruits so I wondered if you have any small variety seeds which you could sell me or maybe we could exchange some we have many variety's of rare palm trees which we have cultivated and lots of Mexican Bird of Paradise seeds and other excotics.
Muchos Saludos
Pamela Wilson
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 12, 2008 at 5:26 AM:
Hola Pamela,
Por cierto tengo semillas frutales!
I can offer for trade; Psidium guayava, Psidium guayava 'Nana', P. cattleyanum, P.lucidum, Annona squamosa, A. cherimolia, Bunchosia armeniaca. I can get more species but they are quite seasonal, like Syzygium and Eugenia which come in summer (December-January)
Con mucho gusto
JJ
...
Subject: Good Article
Posted by phicks (from Lakeland, FL) on May 11, 2008 at 8:27 PM:
Whats that Huge Fruit the girls are holding ? Paul
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 12, 2008 at 12:21 AM:
Hi Paul,
This is a jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) which can get even bigger than this, enough to feed my daughters for a whole week, a pretty energetic fruit with the sugar it contains (20%)
JJ
...
Subject: My Beautiful, Exquisite Mangosteen ...
Posted by wrightie (from Metro DC, MD) on May 11, 2008 at 11:53 AM:
Oh, how I miss thee!!!
Thanks for calling attention to these wonderful fruits. I look forward to the day that I can buy fresh, organic mangosteens in my local market (but I'm not holding my breath!).
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 11, 2008 at 12:28 PM:
I do not know where MD is but it does not sound like a place where you could grow Mangosteen...and those definitely have to be eaten right after harvest, so the best thing to do is to get a plane ticket to Bali offered for your birthday and head for the closest street market...
...
Posted by wrightie (from Metro DC, MD) on May 11, 2008 at 12:32 PM:
Oh, you are so right, Jacques. I used to live in Asia and I often bought them at the market there. They are my all time favorite fruit.
I have some threads around DG discussing MG's - they're not legal to grow in the US and MD is far too cold for them. *sigh*
I'll still take that ticket to Bali ... or Thailand though! :)
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 11, 2008 at 12:50 PM:
Oh I see then, if you lived in Asia you KNOW about those fruits. I am very surprised to see it is not legal to grow mangosteens in the US, what is the reason then? Maybe people would stop eating all the other fruits;))
Yep, Bali, Thailand, Singapor, Malaysia, they all are paradise for the fruits lovers, I miss the chempedaks!
...
Posted by KyWoods (from Melbourne, KY) on May 12, 2008 at 12:20 AM:
My filipino ex-husband taught me about some of these wonders, but I haven't tasted them all--fascinating, fun article! Oh, and I found this article about the illegal import of mangosteens to the U.S.:
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 12, 2008 at 12:38 AM:
Never been to Phlipines but I guess there must be tons of delicious fruits as well.
Thanks for the link, we also have this fruit fly here which is such a pain in the...fruit!
...
Subject: Excellent article on fruit!
Posted by girlgroupgirl (from Atlanta, GA) on May 11, 2008 at 2:50 AM:
I loved this article, especially the way you describe "Jack Fruits", lol. I lived in the oldest chinatown in Toronto for many years, and every morning the vendors would go outside their businesses and use a machete to open their jack fruit. The aroma wasn't very tantilizing - however the fruit sure is tasty. We had the opportunity to eat many varieties of fruit, but a few you write about are very new to me.
girlgroupgirl
...
Posted by spidra (from Berkeley, CA) on May 11, 2008 at 3:06 AM:
Thanks for the article! I'd add that if folks are interested in learning more about these fruits and possibly growing them, they should check out California Rare Fruit Growers (which has chapters in more states than California and members in more nations than the USofA). [HYPERLINK@www.crfg.org]
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 11, 2008 at 4:13 AM:
Hi,
Thanks guys, indeed Jackfruit is smelly but nothing compared to Durian, this one is very special.
Thanks for the link to CRFG, they do a real good job.
Fruits bless you!
JJ
...
Posted by carrielamont (from Milton, MA) on May 11, 2008 at 9:41 AM:
Oh, oh, I haven't had breakfast yet (Mother's Day, I must allow myself to be waited on hand and foot) and now I'm really hungry. Thank you for an appetizing tour of your garden.
Carrie
...
Posted by mellielong (from Lutz, FL) on May 11, 2008 at 11:36 AM:
Nice article, but I had one question. I thought there was one member of the Annonaceae family that grew outside of the tropics - Asimina triloba, commonly known as Pawpaw.
Melanie
...
Posted by jjacques (from LE TAMPON
(Reunion (French))) on May 11, 2008 at 12:26 PM:
Hi Mellie,
I am not familiar with Asimina triloba but botanical families are not restricted to a specific area, the Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus) belongs to the Moraceae just like the fig tree which can grow in temperate areas. And tropics are not only warm sunny place, like here on Reunion which is right on the Capricorn tropic if you go up on the volcano you may very well freeze to death at night, needless to say no banana trees up there!
...
Posted by Aunt_A (from Tulsa, OK) on May 11, 2008 at 12:35 PM:
Wow...wonderful. Thanks for such an interesting and educational article.
What have you done??? After reading your article, I'm even more ready to pack my bags and move to a place where everything wonderful grows on trees. (Even just Avacados, Grapefruits and Oranges would be enough to start...but wonderful Tropical fruit like this...wow). I keep telling my husband that I want to move where we can grow wonderful things on trees without the "kill everything heat without rain" in the middle of the summer, every summer.
Thanks again!
...
Posted by Fitsy (from Hayesville, NC) on May 14, 2008 at 8:02 AM:
How wonderful! Thank you for the introduction to these
fruits.
Fitsy
Eugenia uniflora or ‘Surinam cherry'. Its fruits have a rather different look, ripening orange or red, with eight characteristic ribs, hence the French name of ‘cerise à côtes' (ribbed cherry). Note that both species can be easily grown from seed and make nice house plants, having a reasonable size for indoor use.
