The Tropical Fruit Forum

I've looked all over for this one, and it's exceedingly hard to find. Ironically, despite legal issues in several countries, the only ones readily and openly available on the market are the ones meant to be curtailed by the laws: the toxic inedible variants.

I'm looking for true D. bulbifera, not D. alata nor D. batatas/polystachya/opposita. I'm looking to buy one, as I don't have much to trade right now. As they are meant for human consumption, I'm most emphatically NOT looking for an ornamental/toxic variety. From what I've gathered, there are edible types that still have a degree of toxicity (still perfectly edible, but they must be cooked thoroughly) as well as some that have reduced toxicity (presumably requiring less cooking time, and possibly tasting better). The less toxic / more edible it is, the better. I've looked for it on eBay, and the few times I see some that seem edible (usually from Thailand) I find myself doubting a little (due to the low-key descriptions), or wondering if they're the low-quality edible types. Is there anyone here growing it? Anyone able and willing to send me some bulbils for growing?

While I'm asking, how do you prepare it? Peeling, chopping, boiling times, etc.? And is there any particularly important growing/harvesting information to know? Is it like some yams, where unripe tubers could be toxic? (in which case, how can you tell when to harvest?)

I'm growing Lerene now, and I've found conflicting information. One source claims it prefers shade, another that it grows well in sun. Anyone else have experience with it? Perhaps it produces well in both?

These are my plants, in bright shade:


I got to taste the tubers when I received these roots. They were very small, but I was told they were mostly immature. The skin has to be peeled whether before or after cooking (and it's obscenely tedious when they're small). I tried to eat a couple with the skin, but found it inedibly tough. The rest had a wonderful water chestnut texture, and a corn-like taste.

Figs are one of the more well-known family members, globally. Mulberries are the baseline member, enjoyed by all who grow them (but commercially under-appreciated). And Artocarpus are the darlings in Tropical Fruit circles. But how many other family members are worth growing out there? Good flavor, pulp ratio and productivity. Are there any hidden gems out there, or are they mostly "collector's fruit"?

Prainea limpato looks interesting, but I don't know much about its flavor, and its pulp ratio seems low.

Treculia africana looks useful in seed production, but I've read opinions that it's not that productive or worthwhile.

Where does Myrianthus arboreus fit into all of this? I've seen it referred to as a member of this family, as an Urticacean and as a Cecropiacean. And it apparently fixes nitrogen. Regardless of taxonomy, is it worthwhile? I've got my eye out for this species.

Ramón (Brosimum alicastrum) pulp seems scant, but good. The seed seems very useful in theory, but in practice it seems to be held in low esteem by the forum members who've tasted it. Mama Cadela (B. gaudichaudii) seems much more well regarded (if at least as gum; I don't know of you can swallow it), but it seems afflicted by the Cerrado Curse.

Osage Orange (Maclura pomifera) is almost always regarded as inedible (save for the seeds, which seem like way too much work), or outright toxic (which is false). Several user comments here (http://www.eattheweeds.com/maclura-pomifera-the-edible-inedible-2/) allege the flesh to be edible under certain circumstances (prepared like breadfruit, or frost-ripened into an actual fruit, even working it into pies).

Che (M. tricuspidata) is the most well-known "Cudrania" (and still underutilized, it seems). It seems sensitive/unproductive in the tropics, but that won't stop me from trying. Cockspur Thorn (M. cochinchinensis) is an Indo-Australian relative that's said to be tasty, but it's rather hard to find. I've got two survivors from my seeds, no idea what gender. If female, I don't know of they're unproductive (or even fruit-barren) in the absence of a male, or if they fruit seedlessly like Che. M. tinctoria is also edible, but poorly known.

The South American species are of particular interest to me. I've seen 3 Helicostylis species (tomentosa, scabra, and pedunculata) referred to in the forum as being edible and tasty, but they're exceedingly rare, and apparently sensitive as seedlings. Perebea and Maquira seem similar to one another, and they look "juicy", but there's almost no info available on them. Vitor's reference to Naucleopsis ulei as being one of the best fruits he's ever tasted captivated me: I splurged on 5 trees, received 7, and ended up with 6 small-but-strong survivors (hopefully I'll have a mix of males and females among them; they're dioecious, unfortunately). I really hope it's pulpy and worthwhile as more than a collector's fruit, 'cause I'd like to spread it around if it's as good as they say. There's also this thread (http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=20793.0) referring to Naucleopsis (despite the title) as being tasty and pulpy.

Here's one of my N. ulei post-seedlings:


So... Which are the gems, and which are "for collectors"? Have I missed anything important?

So I've been doing a lot of thinking on integrating livestock on to farms, as I really like the concept of Permaculture in theory (in practice, it seems tough to make the animal part profitable, but doable if you play your cards right). And when I got to pigs (which benefit from a more diverse diet when pastured - they're not really grazers), I started thinking how they always fed loads of Starfruit and Pommarrosas (Syzygium samarangense, S. malaccense, S. jambos, etc.) to the pigs back at the University I went to last year. Which got me thinking: What other tropical trees tend to overproduce fruits and nuts in cultivation? What other fruits could one integrate on a farm to feed pigs?

Aside from those two, I thought maybe some strains of Jackfruit and other Artocarpus (altilis, camansi, etc.) could be worthwhile pig feed, and maybe Brosimum alicastrum as well. I was also taught at the University (in relation to Goats) that Papaya and Watermelon are beneficial against certain parasites, but that may be another topic. Does anyone have any experience with this? Or at least any knowledge on other overproductive tropical fruit & nut trees?

This is my side yard:
Front to back => , Back to front =>

Space is at a premium in my house, and I'm looking to use up everything I can. My side yard is rather narrow and I have neighbors on the other side of the wall (no side yard on their side, just the house and a narrow path). It's shady among the bananas for most of the day, but the front and rear get decent amounts of sun, and noon and part of the afternoon can get downright brutal even with the bananas. The soil is heavy clay, with good water retention, but never excessive (a very mild incline takes care of the excess water). Front to back (and ignoring the four bananas), there's currently a CherryORG, a Grumichama (both of these are tiny so far), a small Fig (that refuses to put on any height and keeps dying back and re-sprouting), and a triple-patch of Açaí between the last two bananas. Beyond the house boundary, I have a 2' tall Candolleana and a 1' tall Pitangatuba.

My main concerns are these: that the trees (roots particularly) will harm the foundations of the house or my neighbor's wall (anything I plant there shouldn't do that, obviously), that whatever shade there is will hinder productivity while the trees are small, and that whatever sun there is will harm sensitive species (though this last one is easily taken care of with shade cloth, I suppose). I don't mind less than optimum productivity, but if it gets deeply affected (under the circumstances or from overcrowding) it's a deal-breaker; otherwise, I don't mind overcrowding the trees.

So... What should I plant? I currently have spots for 7 small trees (including the area behind the house boundary), and my choices are from trees I have in pots (no new trees). My initial intent was to plant 4 Jaboticabas (Red, Aureana, Glomerata, Vexator) and 2 Garcinias (Intermedia and Vleerackerii - I love using that Nomen Nudum!); I hadn't chosen anything for the seventh spot yet. I'm reevaluating my choices from scratch, and I'd like some advice as to which 7 to plant, and which spots each would receive. My top choices for the side spots are Garcinia mangostana and G. vleerackerii (unless someone has any counter-advice to this?). These are my remaining choices: the aforementioned Jabos (Red, Aureana, Glomerata, Vexator, as well as a 3' tall Coronata Restinga), 3 more Eugenias (Florida, Luschnathiana and Victoriana), Garcinia intermedia, Artocarpus hypargyreus (seems vigorous and unlikely), Jamaican Cherry (also vigorous and unlikely), Abiu (I'd like this one there), and Rambutan. I decided against Ficus opposita because I still don't know if it'll be productive or how big it'll get, and I decided against the supposed Eugenia "calycina" because I already have a CORG & a Grumi there. Any advice on this situation would be appreciated.

So, I have 3 sacks of  dry 2-year-old horse crap (and may be getting more in the future). What's the nutritional balance on it? What's the best way to use it? I currently have a small amount of trees planted out, and loads of them in pots (mainly in miracle-grow moisture control). I also have a small raised bed whose soil I'm planning on amending. Any advice to make the best of my brown gold?

Does anyone have any experience with this tropical persimmon? I sowed 5 seeds several years ago, and after several weeks, all five sprouted, and grew 2 or 3 inches. It was then that I learned they were dioecious, so rather than give away the extra trees (which were now needed) or have several trees in my small yard, I moved them all into the same pot. And their growth stalled from then on. I moved them to a bigger pot, and recently stuck the remaining ones into the ground, but though they have shown growth over time (they're almost a foot tall from soil-level), they're growing extremely slowly. Two of them died from unknown circumstances (while in-pot), a third has remained stunted, and all 3 remaining trees seem to be dying off now (not sure if sickness, moisture or sun-scald). Do they have any peculiar needs or tricks to keep them healthy and growing? Maybe they have sensitive roots? I'd like to try them again, but I'd rather not shell out the cash unless I'm sure I can keep them from dying.

Hey guys! I'm making this thread, hoping that it will act as a centralized hub for queries on cross pollination (not sure if there already is one, let me know if there is). The thread can be used for generalized questions as well as species-specific queries (like mine), and I hope any further questions on the subject will be placed here.


So, first question(s)... 1) How do I emasculate Rubus flowers? I have the tropical R. rosifolius flowering right now, as well as the temperate R. idaeus 'Caroline'. Do I have to open up the closed flowers to reach the anthers, or is there a window of opportunity when recently opened where the pollen is still immature? ; 2) How do I actually execute the pollination? When to harvest the pollen?, how to harvest it?, when to apply it?, for how long is it viable?... I assume I'll need a little brush, but the prior matters elude me. ; 3) How do I isolate the flowers? A little bag? If so, what kind? And for how long do I need to isolate them?

Hi all! I went to Home Depot the other day and found some interesting stuff. Need some advice on it...

1. I Brought back a Guavaberry.



Is this the real deal M. floribunda? And does anyone have experience with it? Years to fruit, culture needs, taste, that kinda stuff. I thought my days of impulse buys were over. Should’ve seen than coming. 

2. They also had Mauritius Lychees from Pine Island Nursery there. Came home without ‘em for fear that they might not do well here. I consulted the book on exotic fruits of Puerto Rico (the one by Juan A. Rivero and Bryan R. Brunner). It listed Mauritius as a desirable variety, regularly productive (which I interpreted as it being a variety that does well in full tropics). So should I splurge on my next visit, or hold out for a better, more “tropical” variety? (If so, which one?)

3. They also had some fine looking Pitomba trees (E. luthschnathiana), quite tall. I already have two seedlings which took forever to germinate.



Should I bring back one of the more mature trees to hedge my bets, or am I likely to do fine with the seedlings I’ve got?

So I planted a G. intermedia seed the year before last. Flash forward several months, it hadn't germinated, so I plopped a Purple Mangosteen seed in the same pot, and ordered an intermedia from Adam. A few months later, I got germination, but I couldn't figure out which one it was. I tried digging out the seed husk, but it was already gone. I had a couple of Mangosteen seedlings + the intermedia to compare with, and I still couldn't figure it out. I no longer have the Mangosteens (lost 'em in an ill-conceived transplantation attempt), so I'm hoping the mystery seedling is one, to complement the intermedia I already have.

So, can anyone help me ID the mystery seedling? It's the one on the right; left is G. intermedia.




They look kinda different in the pic (the mystery seedling is slightly chlorotic, and it's smaller, but that's 'cause it's younger). In person, they look very similar (but then, it also looked similar to the Mangosteens I had).