Author Topic: A wealth of different types of Uvaia  (Read 9415 times)

Solko

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A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« on: March 14, 2017, 05:37:03 PM »
I have become more and more fascinated with all the different types of Uvaia.
There are sweet Uvaias, sour Uvaias, round and pear-shaped Uvaias, smooth and gnarly Uvaias, Orange, yellow and pale yellow Uvaias, there are bush-type Uvaias and tree-type Uvaias and now there is also a giant Uvaia. And they not only look and taste different, they also fruit in different seasons. The website of Estancia das Frutas from Brazil says they have over 21 types of Uvaia!
They seem to come from different botanical species that are closely related and able to generate some hybrids in between them. Eugenia Pyriformis, Eugenia Beaurepairiana, Eugenia Lutescens, Eugenia Uvalha are all called 'Uvaia' in Brazil.

This year I have been fortunate enough to receive seeds from 8 different sources, and I already had two Uvaias, both very different. So here are some of the pictures of the seedlings, with many thanks to my friends on this forum.

If you grow some Uvaias and recognize any of these as similar to your own, please post some of your observations, as taste and ripening time.

These are five batches, two from Brazil, three from Portugal. My guess is that the two big ones on the far right are E Lutescens, the top-center and bottom-left are Pyriformis and bottom-center and top-left are hybrids. In any case the difference in size and shape is remarkable.


These were the two Uvaias I already had


The main difference seems to be the leaf type, leaf arrangement and the hairiness and color of the young leaves


Which type of Uvaia do you have and what is your favorite? Any observations or remarks are welcome! As are seeds of any of your varieties  ;D


« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 04:02:59 PM by Solko »

Grapebush

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #1 on: May 20, 2017, 09:26:21 PM »
In the last few months I also got some seeds and plants of Uvaia from different sources, and now, that most of them are germinated, I also noted that a few of them have different leaf shape, size, colour and texture. Also the growth habit changes a bit from batch to batch, and sometimes even in the same batch, there are some differences.
Some of the plants I got are already about 3 years old, and even if they come from the same source, they show some differences in growth habit and shape. One of these seems to be preparing to flower.
Here are the ones I have at the momment.

The different batches all together


These ones are from a friend in mainland Portugal, from suposedly 3 different types: Back left: médium size fruit, not very tasty, and 2 crops a year; Back right: big size fruit, sweet; Front right: Small size fruit, acid type.




Brazilian source for the both of these, but completely different plants (suposedely of a sweet type). Look the leaf size, form, veins and colour. And one of them has sets of 3 leaves at each segment, instead of 2, like most of the others I've seen.


The last ones I got. From Argentina.


Another brazilian source. Again, there are some slightly differences between them. Suposedely acid type.


These ones are from seeds I got on a trade, with a nurseryman, from Braga (mainland Portugal), and are from a suposedely sweet type.


These are my bigger plants, that I got on a local nursery, and I suspect these are originally from the nursery in Braga.


And that's what I supose to be flowers forming.

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Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #2 on: May 26, 2017, 08:40:53 AM »
Very nice! Beautiful collection and now that my plants are a bit bigger I have found the same variation as you, but that seems logical, since we shared most of the batches of seeds we got last year,  :)

There is a lot of variation in growth rate and size among my seedlings, and also in the amount of 'yellowing' or paleness that a lot of seedling Eugenia's get: some seedlings from the same batch look dark green and healthy and others look quite pale.

Besides size, growth rate and habit, the biggest difference I found is the amount of hairiness on the young leaves. One type - all the Brazilian seeds - seem to be smooth and hairless and have smaller thicker glossy leaves, while almost all Portuguese seeds are of the larger leaf type that have velvety, hairy and more 'paper-like' leaves..

Here is a picture of the two types - in the extreme, all my other seedlings seem to be some intermediary firm of these types:


Maybe these differences only show up in the seedling stage and both types will develop in the same type of mature plant, but for now the difference is striking - they really look like two different species.

Then there is also the different color of the young leaves, which can appear white, pale green, red or bronze, but that may also have to do with water and soil pH


The leaf type and size seems to change a lot when it matures.

And I would say that those are indeed flower buds. Cool!
« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 04:03:54 PM by Solko »

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #3 on: May 26, 2017, 09:13:13 AM »
My oldest (4 year old) Uvaia from seeds from Helton is definitely from the Brazilian glossy leaf type, but it seems to have another particularity that makes it grow weird: the new shoots don't come out of the tips of the branches, but from the same point as last years shoots. I don't know if that is because I let the tips freeze each winter - this plant took - 4 outside, or if it is a genetic variation. In any case it is very hardy, but grows like a 'self-pruning hedge' and is still only 25 cm tall after four years





« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 04:04:50 PM by Solko »

Heinrich

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #4 on: July 11, 2017, 06:55:07 AM »
Seeds of a sweet variety of Eugenia pyriformis arrived in January 2016 from availableseeds.com. Almost all seeds germinated. Surprisingly to me, the plantlets showed a large variation, not only in growth rate, but also in plant shape. The variation in leaf pubescence is less distinct.

These are my two tallest plants in tall 3l pots, compared to the two smallest plants in 10cm square pots. June, 2017.


The smallest plant, May, 2017.


This precocious plant flowered in mid June 2017.



« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 09:27:32 AM by Heinrich »

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #5 on: July 11, 2017, 11:05:52 AM »
Those are great looking plants, Heinrich, and congratulations with the first flower. That seems incredibly fast for Uvaia.
I will post some photo's as an update of my plants that are one year younger than yours. They display the same diversity of growth rates and shapes, but also leaf color and hairyness.

Unfortunately it looks like www.availableseeds.com doesn't exist anymore. I've been wanting to buy some seeds from Ricardo and kept checking the website for a year already, but it seems to be inactive or gone now.

Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #6 on: July 11, 2017, 01:24:15 PM »
One of these seems to be preparing to flower.



You´re right. Flowers are coming. ;)

Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #7 on: July 11, 2017, 01:30:08 PM »
I have become more and more fascinated with all the different types of Uvaia.
There are sweet Uvaias, sour Uvaias, round and pear-shaped Uvaias, smooth and gnarly Uvaias, Orange, yellow and pale yellow Uvaias, there are bush-type Uvaias and tree-type Uvaias and now there is also a giant Uvaia. And they not only look and taste different, they also fruit in different seasons. The website of Estancia das Frutas from Brazil says they have over 21 types of Uvaia!
They seem to come from different botanical species that are closely related and able to generate some hybrids in between them. Eugenia Pyriformis, Eugenia Beaurepairiana, Eugenia Lutescens, Eugenia Uvalha are all called 'Uvaia' in Brazil.

This year I have been fortunate enough to receive seeds from 8 different sources, and I already had two Uvaias, both very different. So here are some of the pictures of the seedlings, with many thanks to my friends on this forum.

Which type of Uvaia do you have and what is your favorite? Any observations or remarks are welcome! As are seeds of any of your varieties  ;D

Welcome to the world of the Uvaias my friend! 21 types? I heard that 30 is a good number. :)
Which seedlings born from the seeds I've sent you?

Uvaias can begin to fruit under 1m tall. Even the tree types, not just the bush types, can be kept in a pot and still give you a good ammount of fruits.
A tree of "normal" type can give you fruits from 2 to 5cm in diameter. The giant gives you fruits over 5cm in diameter, but gives you smaller fruits too. There is a lot of variation...

About color, shape, skin, flavor, leafs, growing habit.... you´re totally right. There is a lot of variation! Enjoy your collection. ;)
« Last Edit: July 11, 2017, 02:25:23 PM by Cassio »

Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #8 on: July 11, 2017, 01:32:50 PM »
My oldest (4 year old) Uvaia from seeds from Helton is definitely from the Brazilian glossy leaf type...





I don´t know if it is due to the photo quallity, but it appears to be a guabiju (myrcianthes pungens), not uvaia....

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #9 on: July 12, 2017, 09:35:32 AM »

Welcome to the world of the Uvaias my friend! 21 types? I heard that 30 is a good number. :)
Which seedlings born from the seeds I've sent you?

Uvaias can begin to fruit under 1m tall. Even the tree types, not just the bush types, can be kept in a pot and still give you a good ammount of fruits.
A tree of "normal" type can give you fruits from 2 to 5cm in diameter. The giant gives you fruits over 5cm in diameter, but gives you smaller fruits too. There is a lot of variation...

About color, shape, skin, flavor, leafs, growing habit.... you´re totally right. There is a lot of variation! Enjoy your collection. ;)

Yes, I am starting to realize just how big the differences are among the different types within the same species. And on top of that I see the same thing happening with the Pitanga's and the COTRG...

Here are some recent pictures of my collection: (these are the same plants as pictured earlier in this thread)


A little overview of the different types and sizes


Fast growing lanceolate leaf type - seeds from Portugal


Even faster growing Giant Type - seeds from Portugal


Small leaf type - Cassio, these are from the seeds you sent me from Brazil


Red leaf type - seeds from Marcos in Argentina


Acid type - I don't know if the white tips is because of a deficiency or genetic - seeds from Portugal


Supposedly sweet type - seeds from Portugal


And these are better pictures of my oldest plant from Helton. It is definitely not Guabiju and the leaves look like Uvaia


But the plant remains super small and bushy after 4 years - probably my lack of knowledge on how to grow this.. 4 years of bad soil, too much sun, too little, too cold in winter, not enough light, etc, etc...

« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 04:10:03 PM by Solko »

Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #10 on: July 12, 2017, 10:01:09 AM »
Beautiful collection Solko!
About the one from Helton, it still don´t looks like uvaia... I never find uvaia with cartaceous leafs, and the trunk looks different too. But it isn´t guabiju either (it has cartaceous leafs, pointed in the end).
If it is really a uvaia, must be the type 31!! :D Or... it can be the Hexachlamys edulis (http://ciprest.blogspot.com.br/2016/10/pessego-do-mato-ou-ubajai-hexaclamys.html), which have similiar leafs as the plant in your photo.

My seeds were taken from a big tree, over 10 m tall. Fruits are very juicy and a bit sour, size from 2 - 5cm in diameter, with a strong yellow color and a skin a bit hairy.

Be carefull with the fruit flies, cause they love uvaias. ;)
« Last Edit: July 12, 2017, 11:11:35 AM by Cassio »

Grapebush

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #11 on: July 13, 2017, 06:36:31 PM »
One of these seems to be preparing to flower.



You´re right. Flowers are coming. ;)

Yep; they opened 3 weeks ago, but no fruit set, however it's flowering again, let's see if it will set one just for taste this time.
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Heinrich

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #12 on: July 14, 2017, 06:23:56 AM »
Solko, thank you, for showing all these different Uvaia and this huge variability. My Eugenia pyriformis plants are from one source only. They are within the range of your fast growing lanceolate leaf type, red leaf type and supposedly sweet type.

Heinrich

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #13 on: September 17, 2017, 05:40:50 PM »
Can this really be the same species, Eugenia pyriformis? It looks so different.



http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=14097.msg178174#msg178174


Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #14 on: September 18, 2017, 01:44:35 PM »
@Heinrich, the leafs looks like from a young uvaia indeed, but I never found an uvaia seedling that fruits so early!!!

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #15 on: September 19, 2017, 12:34:44 PM »
Wow, Heinrich, that is amazing.
I cannot tell if it is an Uvaia, but as far as I can see it could very well be. I have a couple of Pitanga and one Uvaia seedling that have the same triple-leaf symmetry instead of opposite leafs. But I have never seen such a small seedling flower, you must be doing something right!

Heinrich

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #16 on: September 22, 2017, 02:29:34 PM »
Solko, it is Carlos plant.

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #17 on: September 24, 2017, 11:05:21 AM »
Ahh, I see now. I missed the link underneath. I have a couple of two and three year old Eugenia's, but I haven't been able to grow them 'fast' in a greenhouse, with adequate heat and moisture. I grew them outside in summer in our Northern European climate but from around this time of the year they come inside and basically stop growing.
So I haven't had any surprises of super early flowering plants yet... but still keeping my fingers crossed for next year.

Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #18 on: April 24, 2018, 03:57:39 PM »
Update:

Cassio, it seems that your own plant gives seedlings that flower just as fast as Heinrich’s plant.
We have an absolute winner in terms of precocity here: the Uvaia’s I got from Cassio just over a year ago. Two of the three surviving seedlings flowered within 15 months of planting the seeds. That is pretty incredible, also when you consider that they are the smallest variety of Uvaia that I have. The seedlings were pretty chlorotic and sensitive at the beginning and a few of them died, but that has probably more to do with the soil and conditions I am able to give them. I kept them out of direct sun. Nonetheless three healthy plants survived of that batch and I am pretty impressed. I hope they will set some fruit, but you have a unique mother plant there, Cassio!

I am posting an update here, same plants, one year later...


These are the different types I have



Giant Type - Velvety leaves


Large type - velvety leaves


Regular type - velvety leaves


Round type from HuertasUrbanas - hairless leaves


Dwarf type from Cassio - small hairless leaves and flowers after 15 months from seed!


Close up of the first flower on one plant


Close up of a cluster of three flowers on a second plant from Cassio


Hope you like the pictures!
« Last Edit: April 24, 2018, 04:11:01 PM by Solko »

Cassio

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #19 on: May 08, 2018, 06:50:52 AM »
Update:

Cassio, it seems that your own plant gives seedlings that flower just as fast as Heinrich’s plant.
We have an absolute winner in terms of precocity here: the Uvaia’s I got from Cassio just over a year ago. Two of the three surviving seedlings flowered within 15 months of planting the seeds. That is pretty incredible, also when you consider that they are the smallest variety of Uvaia that I have. The seedlings were pretty chlorotic and sensitive at the beginning and a few of them died, but that has probably more to do with the soil and conditions I am able to give them. I kept them out of direct sun. Nonetheless three healthy plants survived of that batch and I am pretty impressed. I hope they will set some fruit, but you have a unique mother plant there, Cassio!

I am posting an update here, same plants, one year later...


Hi Solko!

Good to know they are doing well there!
Those seeds came from an old tree, more than 10m tall. That tree is in a square near my home. Good to know she set fruits at young age. :)
Her fruits are very juicy, but acid. They are good for juices, liquor, drinks, sorbets, vinegar, jellys....

Grapebush

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #20 on: May 14, 2018, 06:52:46 PM »
Yours are looking much better than mine, but I must say, I'm not giving too much attention to thm lately, specially after what hapened to me last winter.
Have some older ones flowering for the second year; let's see if this time they will set some fruits to taste.
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Solko

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #21 on: May 16, 2018, 04:34:43 PM »
Grapebush: Yes, I got your post on Facebook, that is terrible what happened. They have small greenhouses here that you can fix to the wall on your balcony, I will send you a link soon, that might be a good idea to protect your plants. I have been able to overwinter these ones inside last winter, next winter they go into an I heated greenhouse, so I don’t know if they’ll still look as good this time next year. ???

Cassio: thank you for the extra information. It seems the trees from your seeds remain a little bit smaller than some of the others. They didn’t set any fruit this year, but if they bloom again next year, I hope they will. If the fruit turns out to be to sour for my taste - I have never tasted any Uvaia yet - I will still keep these ones and try to cross them with a sweeter type. I think the fast fruiting is a very attractive trait in these rare fruits!

huertasurbanas

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #22 on: May 17, 2018, 01:46:32 PM »
Grapebush: Yes, I got your post on Facebook, that is terrible what happened. They have small greenhouses here that you can fix to the wall on your balcony, I will send you a link soon, that might be a good idea to protect your plants. I have been able to overwinter these ones inside last winter, next winter they go into an I heated greenhouse, so I don’t know if they’ll still look as good this time next year. ???

Cassio: thank you for the extra information. It seems the trees from your seeds remain a little bit smaller than some of the others. They didn’t set any fruit this year, but if they bloom again next year, I hope they will. If the fruit turns out to be to sour for my taste - I have never tasted any Uvaia yet - I will still keep these ones and try to cross them with a sweeter type. I think the fast fruiting is a very attractive trait in these rare fruits!

Congrats for that amazing collection and healty plants!

You can make really good mermelades and icecreams with the not so sweet or sour types!

Grapebush

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #23 on: May 20, 2018, 05:14:40 AM »
Grapebush: Yes, I got your post on Facebook, that is terrible what happened. They have small greenhouses here that you can fix to the wall on your balcony, I will send you a link soon, that might be a good idea to protect your plants. I have been able to overwinter these ones inside last winter, next winter they go into an I heated greenhouse, so I don’t know if they’ll still look as good this time next year. ???

Cassio: thank you for the extra information. It seems the trees from your seeds remain a little bit smaller than some of the others. They didn’t set any fruit this year, but if they bloom again next year, I hope they will. If the fruit turns out to be to sour for my taste - I have never tasted any Uvaia yet - I will still keep these ones and try to cross them with a sweeter type. I think the fast fruiting is a very attractive trait in these rare fruits!

Thank you for the tip, Solko.
As soon as my economical situation allows, I intend to build myself a new greenhouse from scratch, with steel frame and policarbonate cover, but it might take a while before I'm able to buy all the tools and materials I need to do that, so you can send the link, please.


My adult plants are starting to form flower buds, let's see if this time I will taste any fruit.

The smaller ones (about same age as yours) are starting to put some new leaves, and branches, after the previous ones were completely blown by the stormy winds from last winter. A few of them died because of that.
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vitiga

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Re: A wealth of different types of Uvaia
« Reply #24 on: May 21, 2018, 08:46:53 AM »
Got that one, but not sure about its ID. sour or sweet ?
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