Author Topic: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees  (Read 2945 times)

barath

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Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« on: March 02, 2018, 10:33:00 PM »
What tropical fruit trees (not just general non-fruit-bearing tropicals) have nice looking large leaves?  The one that comes to mind, though I don't know about the fruit, is Passiflora macrophylla, but I think it might be too tropical to be grown in SoCal (10b/11a) which is where I'd like to grow them.

Faldon

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #1 on: March 02, 2018, 10:56:54 PM »



how about chupa-chupa? it has really big leaves and looking good.

marklee

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #2 on: March 02, 2018, 11:13:31 PM »
That "broadleaf" papaya has a pretty big leaf.

sahai1

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #3 on: March 02, 2018, 11:25:47 PM »
Teak tree leaves look enormously too large when the tree is young, a tree 10 feet tall will only have less than 20 leaves.  Elephant ears plant leaves can get extremely large, especially in native conditions with almost full shade.  They get smaller when in full sun and also the age of the corm will affect the size... I'll have to take a photo of the ones in the jungle behind my house, I think they break some records!

Edit.. but you looking for fruit.. I would say breadfruit has the largest size leaves for a fruit bearing, but could be wrong.

Ulfr

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #4 on: March 02, 2018, 11:48:35 PM »
Neither are trees but coco yam and banana might be worth considering if you are after the large leaf tropical look.

sunny

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #5 on: March 03, 2018, 12:13:20 AM »
I think pedalai is the no1.

sildanani

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #6 on: March 03, 2018, 12:15:24 AM »
Cecropia
Passiflora macrophylla
Garcinia magnifolia
Breadfruit
Junglesop
Poor Man’s Parasol
Giant Rhubarb

But then I noticed that you specified California.. :o
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 12:21:30 AM by sildanani »
Anisha

KarenRei

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #7 on: March 03, 2018, 07:09:28 AM »
So, tropical *food* plants, the largest (compound) leafed plant in the world, Raphia regalis, is tapped for its sugar.



Several Raphias (R. farinifera, R. hookeri, R. sudanica, R. vinifera) have edible fruits, although they have to be cooked first.



Manicaria saccifera has the largest "mostly undivided" leaves.  The seeds are used for oil and the liquid endosperm from unripe fruits is drunk.  Other Manicarias are also edible.




Even if you want "biggest fully undivided leaf", that's probably also going to be palms, although there's some dispute as to which one (there's lots of contenders).  And the vast majority of true palms are edible in some manner or another.  Around this point you also start getting to some (inedible) non-palm contenders, too, like the giant amazon water lily (Victoria amazonica) and Giant "Rhubarb" (Gunnera manicata)




You know, I'm not sure what the largest-leafed edible non-palm plant would be.  But the largest are definitely palms.
« Last Edit: March 03, 2018, 01:07:22 PM by KarenRei »
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sahai1

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #8 on: March 03, 2018, 07:18:28 AM »
If it's like the picture in this link, then yeah much larger than Breadfruit.. I still want Pedalai, even more now seeing the leaves are so beautiful.
https://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/attractive-artocarpus-1165.jpeg
I think pedalai is the no1.

shot

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #9 on: March 03, 2018, 08:31:23 AM »
borassus flabellifer that should grow in cali.That is one massive plant though for urban yard

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #10 on: March 03, 2018, 08:37:03 AM »
borassus flabellifer that should grow in cali.That is one massive plant though for urban yard

And they are dioecious! I want room for these so bad.
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barath

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #11 on: March 03, 2018, 10:13:01 AM »



how about chupa-chupa? it has really big leaves and looking good.

I wonder if anyone has been successful in growing chupa-chupa in California.  I got some seeds of it years ago but struggled with germination, so I never got to try it out.

barath

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #12 on: March 03, 2018, 10:13:55 AM »
Neither are trees but coco yam and banana might be worth considering if you are after the large leaf tropical look.

Ah, yes.  Bananas are definitely in the plan...not sure about taro, but might be worth trying.

barath

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #13 on: March 03, 2018, 10:14:45 AM »
If it's like the picture in this link, then yeah much larger than Breadfruit.. I still want Pedalai, even more now seeing the leaves are so beautiful.
https://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/attractive-artocarpus-1165.jpeg
I think pedalai is the no1.

How does pedalai compare in terms of cold tolerance vs. breadfruit?

sunny

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #14 on: March 03, 2018, 10:22:44 AM »
If it's like the picture in this link, then yeah much larger than Breadfruit.. I still want Pedalai, even more now seeing the leaves are so beautiful.
https://plant.daleysfruit.com.au/l/attractive-artocarpus-1165.jpeg
I think pedalai is the no1.

That is not a mature pedalai leave, maybe a young one...the fingers disappear when it is mature.

I think he has lakoocha or so..

On internet i saw pictures of leaves larger than a meter.

simon_grow

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #15 on: March 03, 2018, 10:57:52 AM »
Monsters deliciosa has large leaves

Simon

KarenRei

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #16 on: March 03, 2018, 01:12:48 PM »
borassus flabellifer that should grow in cali.That is one massive plant though for urban yard

And they are dioecious! I want room for these so bad.

My understanding is that the fruit isn't as good as a good coconut. 

As for dioecy:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236156216_Existence_of_co-sexuality_in_palmyrah_palm_and_study_of_relationship_between_monoecious_and_dioecious_palms_using_molecular_markers

Quote
Though palmyrah is a dioecious palm, recentlya high yielding monoecious palmyrah palm has been located in Undeswarapuram near to Rajamundry in Andhra Pradesh State (Venkataramana, personalcommunication).

If you do some leg work, you might be able to track down seeds of a monoecious B. flabellifer.  And then hope that they also come true with monoecy.  Yeah, it's a long shot.  On the other side, if you can confirm inherited monoecy, lots of people are going to want seeds from you  ;)
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sahai1

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #17 on: March 03, 2018, 02:00:25 PM »


My understanding is that the fruit isn't as good as a good coconut. 


that’s like comparing apples and oranges, Black Palm, aka LookNot, or as described above is eaten for the jelly like meat.  It’s quite difficult to cut out, and even then more difficult to seperate the bitter skin enveloping the fruit, but if done properly and age is correct, more delicious than spoonmeat from young coconut. 


Ansarac

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #18 on: March 03, 2018, 05:11:44 PM »
I have seen tender Brugmansias, Colocasia, and Tamarillos succeed, in similar conditions, when there is a windblock. For instance, when a patio is surrounded by walls on four sides, with an open roof, or between a fence and a wall.

I don't have a logical explanation. because I have seen some ice, around, and icewater. But, something about that cold wind is especially damaging.

Also, keep it off hot walls and glass, and mulch to keep the ground from cooking it.

Coach62

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #19 on: March 04, 2018, 12:10:04 AM »
Cecropia
Passiflora macrophylla
Garcinia magnifolia
Breadfruit
Junglesop
Poor Man’s Parasol
Giant Rhubarb

But then I noticed that you specified California.. :o

Breadfruit are EXTREMELY cold sensitive. They start dying quickly below about 50 degrees.
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sahai1

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Re: Largest leaved tropical fruit trees
« Reply #20 on: March 04, 2018, 12:34:20 AM »
elephant ear going to start climbing over the wall soon, forest behind my house has several just amazing trees