My First Charichuela Fruit

[ericalynne]

I was pruning the charichuela tree this morning and found this single fruit. It is the first fruit from this tree. Sorry the picture is a lousy, but I don't have good technical skills.

This has been growing in a pot for 8 + years, flowering for at least five, but has never set fruit before. In Naples, I brought the tree inside the house during freezes. Here in zone 9, it spends the winter in a greenhouse with heat on freezing nights.

This has made my day. Incidentally, I have recently been thinking I should get rid of it because it has never fruited!

Erica

[HMHausman]

Nice.  That looks like the fruit that Bill Whitman was growing.  Is that where the seed came from?

[ericalynne]

Yes. I am so thrilled to finally see a fruit on this tree!!!
Erica

[Jsvand5]

Yes. I am so thrilled to finally see a fruit on this tree!!!
Erica

Nice, do you have pics of the whole tree? I thought that was one that needed a male and female to produce. I guess I have 7 more years to wait for mine.

[emegar]

Congratulations! Please do post photos of the tree, as well as of the tasting, when the time comes.  Well done!

[FlyingFoxFruits]

congrats !

I suppose that's Garcinia acuminata...

I'd love to get a few scions one day...I'd like to try grafting onto some different rootstocks.

[Ethan]

Very nice, your patience has paid off.

[TropicalFruitHunters]

I recall you posting pics of this tree before.  Glad to hear it is finally producing.  I lost both of mine.  I doubt there are more than a few of these plants outside of you and Whitman's yard.  Great job.

[Fruitguy]

Congrats Erica!  I recall Whitman saying that he planted a second tree for cross-pollination which he believed increased his fruit-set. 

[fruitlovers]

Great job Erica! I've got a charichuela here, has never fruited and i've had it for so long i've lost track. The plant is about 7 feet tall but doesn't ever flower.

[ericalynne]

Thanks to everyone for the congrats. I think I have just been really lucky with this one.

Emegar: I previously posted a picture of this tree. I think this link will get you to it:

http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=3129.msg44634#msg44634

Warren, I was wondering if two trees were needed for fruit production. I was thinking that Whitman only had one, but on further consideration, I think there were two trees - only one had fruit at the time. In any case, you are in a better position to remember, having been there more often.

Adam, I would be happy to give you or others cuttings/scions. This tree grows very well and has lots of branches and I usually have to trim it back. It would be fun to be able to let it grow big, but not in zone 9.  I think spring would be best. It has several flushes each year. I don't know what the species is. I have written down that it was G. madruno, but several members of the forum have called it something else.

Thanks all for sharing my joy.

Erica

[fruitlovers]

HIghly doubt charichuela needs cross pollination because all Rheedias (except perhaps one) are self pollinating.

[HMHausman]

I don't know what the species is. I have written down that it was G. madruno, but several members of the forum have called it something else.
Erica

There is the well known confusion about the idenification and botanical names of the Garcinias, former Rheedias.  In Wkikpedia, they are calling this Madruno.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia_madruno

In Puerto Rico, the fruits are much larger and more rounded and they are calling them acuminata.  Whitman's were like yours.  The ones I tried at his place were very light on flesh.  Flavor was good, but the cottony edible portion was scant.  In Puerto Rico, what they are calling acumianta have better flesh to seed ratio but still extremely large seeds and relative scant flesh.  Flavor was the pretty much the same.

[Fruitguy]

In Puerto Rico, the fruits are much larger and more rounded and they are calling them acuminata.  Whitman's were like yours.  The ones I tried at his place were very light on flesh.  Flavor was good, but the cottony edible portion was scant.  In Puerto Rico, what they are calling acumianta have better flesh to seed ratio but still extremely large seeds and relative scant flesh.  Flavor was the pretty much the same.

I noticed that the ones called "Accuminata" had slightly more pointed protuberances on the fruit skin and as you point out, much more rounded.  Agree that both taste the same.  Perhaps in the next revision of the Garcinia genus, the taxonomists will lump them together.

[fruitlovers]

In Puerto Rico, the fruits are much larger and more rounded and they are calling them acuminata.  Whitman's were like yours.  The ones I tried at his place were very light on flesh.  Flavor was good, but the cottony edible portion was scant.  In Puerto Rico, what they are calling acumianta have better flesh to seed ratio but still extremely large seeds and relative scant flesh.  Flavor was the pretty much the same.

I noticed that the ones called "Accuminata" had slightly more pointed protuberances on the fruit skin and as you point out, much more rounded.  Agree that both taste the same. Perhaps in the next revision of the Garcinia genus, the taxonomists will lump them together.

Wouldn't be surprised if they get lumped, but right now they are 2 different species. Check the entries in Lorenzi book. The acuminata is football shaped fruit and the madrono are rounder fruits. The Whitman charichuela looks from the shape of the fruit, football shaped, to be more like acuminata. Hoyos in his book about Fruits in Venezuela has a separate entry for the charichuela.  He says the fruits of madrono and charichuela are very similar, but that of charichuela are smaller than madrono and also the leaves of charichuela are smaller than madrono. I had acuminata fruits in Brazil and didn't think too highly of them, very little pulp and not that great.
According to plantlist.org acuminata is a synonym for either Garcinia ovalifolia or Garcinia elliptica. Garcinia madruno is an accepted name.