Huge leaved tropical fruit trees and edibles.

[Jungle Yard]

I have a soft spot for very large leaved tropical fruit trees and edibles. Anything with leaves over 12” (30 cm).

Please share your leaf giants in this post.

Here are a few I grow:

Theobroma cacao



Ficus auriculata



Syzygium megacarpum



Sandoricum koetjape



Leea macrophylla

[Jungle Yard]

Here are a couple more from my garden:

Cecropia peltata (great tasting fruits!)



Morinda citrifolia

[Alejandro45]

Thank you for reminding me of cecropia. I must remember to get a few. I saw them in Costa Rica years ago. The tour guide told us they are the MacDonalds of the rain forest and are a favorite of sloths.

[Mugenia]

Nice. My dad also has small Ficus auriculata tree. The fruit and leaves are edible.

[Jungle Yard]

Thank you for reminding me of cecropia. I must remember to get a few. I saw them in Costa Rica years ago. The tour guide told us they are the MacDonalds of the rain forest and are a favorite of sloths.

Cecropia is also myrmecophytic and gives home to ants. The fruits on C. peltata are quite tasty and remind me kiwi. Worth growing if you are zone 10 and up.
And yes, in Costa Rica you can always see sloth on Cecropia.

[Jungle Yard]

Nice. My dad also has small Ficus auriculata tree. The fruit and leaves are edible.

The fruits (figs) are tough if raw, but the inside layer, when ripe is sweet and honey-like.

Here is another ficus I grow, Ficus dammaropsis. Also with edible fruits and leaves.

[Pademelon1]

I don't grow any of these (except C. imperiale), but they tickle my fancy...

Clavija sp. (This one is C. domingensis).


Garcinia magnifolia


Now that's a giant banana, and they get even bigger! (Musa ingens)


Chrysophyllum imperiale


Some of the Coccoloba sp. also get giant leaves.

Then there's things more well known like breadfruit & papaya, as well as things with big leaves that are pinnate, like Diploglottis australe

[Jungle Yard]

I don't grow any of these (except C. imperiale), but they tickle my fancy...

Clavija sp. (This one is C. domingensis).


Garcinia magnifolia


Now that's a giant banana, and they get even bigger! (Musa ingens)


Chrysophyllum imperiale


Some of the Coccoloba sp. also get giant leaves.

Then there's things more well known like breadfruit & papaya, as well as things with big leaves that are pinnate, like Diploglottis australe

Cool wish list.

Re: Chrysophyllum imperiale. How cold can it get where you are?

[Pademelon1]

At absolute coldest, it gets to about 7c (45f) and don't get frost, but I think it could probably tolerate slightly cooler conditions as well, it's really more subtropical than tropical in nature.

[Mugenia]

That's nice. Man, where do you get all of these huge leave trees from?

Nice. My dad also has small Ficus auriculata tree. The fruit and leaves are edible.

The fruits (figs) are tough if raw, but the inside layer, when ripe is sweet and honey-like.

Here is another ficus I grow, Ficus dammaropsis. Also with edible fruits and leaves.

[guadua]

Pakistan mulberry...

[Coach62]

Not a tree, but monsterra deliciosa is a vine with huge leaves and one of my favorite fruits.

[Tropicdude]

Elephant apple ( Dillenia indica )  has pretty big leaves,  but they are also very pretty in my opinion, ridged like a ruffles potato chip. I find the tree very attractive.  mostly used as a medicinal for those that know about it,  it is not commonly known around here though.

[Jungle Yard]

Elephant apple ( Dillenia indica )  has pretty big leaves,  but they are also very pretty in my opinion, ridged like a ruffles potato chip. I find the tree very attractive.  mostly used as a medicinal for those that know about it,  it is not commonly known around here though.

I love Dillenia indica and have yong trees, the leaves are not huge yet. It is definitely a beautiful tree. Not only medicinal. The fruits are eatable, the crunchy “sepals” tightly covering the fruit are cocked with sugar and spices into chutney. I made it once. The “sepals” are very fibrous and sour and remind in taste green apples. It’s a lot of work to make chutney from elephant apple!

[Alejandro45]

Here’s a new one I saw at Mounts Botanical Garden. Coccoloba pubescens a relative of sea grape with leaves capable of being 4 feet across!