The Tropical Fruit Forum
Tropical Fruit => Tropical Fruit Discussion => Topic started by: KarenRei on March 11, 2018, 09:10:05 PM
-
A gorgeous tree, with well rated fruit... yet the information I'm finding on it seems contradictory. Just some examples here alone:
http://www.tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eugenia+dysenterica (http://www.tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Eugenia+dysenterica)
* Says it's slow growing, and "doesn't exceed 2 meters height after 2 years". Putting on a meter of height per year in a plant's first two years isn't slow growing at all. How fast does it actually grow?
* Says it succeeds in both sun and partial shade. Yet I have trouble finding any pictures of it at all growing (let alone fruiting, aka "succeeding" IMHO) in any sort of shade... pics generally show it growing in the middle of an open field. Does it truly "succeed" in partial shade, and if so, how much shade?
* Says it mainly grows in sandy or clayey soils, but also says that it prefers organic soils
* The claims that large amounts acts as a laxative, and that large amounts cause a mild drunkenness, make for an interesting mental image. So if you eat a large amount, you end up drunk on the toilet? ;)
What's the actual deal with this interesting eugenia?
-
Apparently E. pyriformis also has the confusing "slow growing" claim - "A slow-growing plant, rarely reaching 2 metres tall after 2 years" Up to a meter per year isn't slow...
-
My experience with E Dysenterica is that it is so hard to germinate and keep alive that it is hard to tell what kills it when it is young; city water, the sun, soil ph or other preferences like temperature and humidity - and it doesn't like small pots. As a seedling it is, like many Myrtaceae, very slow growing. Full trees seem to get quite large and obviously thrive in full sun. I've only seen large trees as singular trees - it doesn't show wether that tree grew up as a seedling in the shade of other bushes and then outgrew them.
As to the claim that it acts as a laxative, I have no firsthand experience eating the fruit, but it has the shortest possible shelf life - you have to eat it straight of the tree or it starts to ferment. That can probably account for it's nickname. There are a lot of better alternatives out there in order to wind up drunk on the toilet ;)
For E pyriformis I can confirm that there are varieties that are extremely slow growing - when young - and others that grow pretty fast, from barely 10 cm in the first year to around 60 cm.
-
Hi
It is a complicated plant to grow, even in other regions of Brazil, a tip I can provide is that it does not grow in pots, or they will die or they will be years of the same size, so once the seeds germinate the ideal is to plant in definite place and with plenty of sun.
Other details that I have said previously, these plants of the cerrado do not like these commercial soils, these lands prepared, the ideal mixture is 80 percent sieved common and 20 percent sand. It is suitable for all species.
About Uvaia, I do not see any relation with cagaita, they are totally distinct plants, cagaita already remember more fruits of cerrado, hard leaves.
About diarrhea, who collected the first time ate fallen fruit on the ground and fermented, if they are at the correct maturation point does not have any kind of problem.
-
Thanks - this helps fill out about a dozen columns beyond the ones I asked about :) I think I'll assume that despite the information, they require full sun to thrive. Maybe credit them with having only ~20% productivity in light midday shade, 0% in partial shade or less. I'll also up the (already high) rating on cultivation difficulty and mark it as salt/chlorine sensitive, and flag it for short shelf life and deep soil (temperature, humidity, and soil type are already marked). :) I'll pick a moderate growth rate rating and add a note.
@nelesedulis - "About Uvaia, I do not see any relation with cagaita, " - I wasn't trying to imply that there was. :) I was just noting that I found the same confusing growth rate wording on it as well.
ED: Another problem with the info I previously found about E. dysenterica: one reference says that its soil preference is "those that are rich in humus" ;) Sounds like a good way to kill a plant that loves a sandy / gravelly soil.
ED 2: I know that cerrado species in general like very well drained soils. Is it nonetheless best to keep the soil moist (frequent watering), or to let it dry out in-between? Given that the the cerrado has a significant dry season, it clearly has to be able to survive dry periods, but any clue whether it prefers dry soil?