Wanted: better star apple cultivars

[koryph]

Everyone says that Haitian Star Apple is the worst of the bunch. Does anyone know where I could get a better cultivar in Florida and which one is best in Florida conditions? Also does anyone have star apple seeds?

[Coconut]

I have grown over ten cultivars suppose to be the best, unfortunately camito does not seem to do well here in our climate producing scan small & irregular fruits that taste substandard.  I have travel to 3/4 of the planet and have tasted fantastic wild & domesticated star apples from Africa to southeast asia and central & south america during diving, hunting trip & business and were able to bring the cultivars back but unfortunately they perform poorly in our soil-climate.  I have never seen a Camito tree in florida with enormous productive fruit of high caliber I have been used to enjoy oversea.  The cold snap we have here during the fruit ripening phase I believe retard its true tropical flavor like Oscar pointed out to me awhile back.  There are growers in the Redland and I have tasted their fruits and came to the same conclusion, my twenty trees in Parkland no more or no less productive than their; neither of us have made millions growing the fruit but the land they sat on.  The jacob green and the green emerald thrive in Parkland & take cold better; as far as Taste no mental orgy here, well fruit production the two are the best of all the ten cultivars I have but dont expect the tree loaded with fruit like you see in Hawii, Fiji, Zaire, Peru, southeast Asia.  The philipine gold does better at my house in Boca Raton go figure.  If I can get two dozen large fruit Per tree on a regular basis I am thrill to death, it more for bragging right.  But now in my 50, cheaper for me to go to Costa Rica or surinam to enjoy the fruit; it is a wonderful fast growing shade tree with beautiful purple gold foliage for hanging a hammock between two camito tree...that alone worth growing.  Plant two tree of different genetic to get better pollination.

[fruitlovers]

Maybe the answer to poor fruiting and quality of starapple in Florida is to look outside this species. This genus has a lot of species and they are all edible. Some of them maybe a lot better adapted to Florida. I have one pink fruited one that is Chrysophyllum auratum. I posted a photo and description here: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=448.0
The price for the seeds is at the end of the above link, I have some available right now for anyone that wants to try it out.

[Roy-Ind]

Hello Oscar
I have sent PM to you
Thank you in advance
Roy

[Mike T]

C.auratum from Oscar looks like what gets referred to as Philippine gold here.Some un-named ones look like a cross between auratum and the common type.

[fruitlovers]

C.auratum from Oscar looks like what gets referred to as Philippine gold here.Some un-named ones look like a cross between auratum and the common type.

Definitely not Phillippine Gold. I have that and it's totally different. Phillippine Gold is a type of starapple, bronze undersides on leaves and fruits never turn pinkish like this fruit. I really doubt you have C. auratum in Australia as it's quite rare. A lot of the fruits in chrysophylum genus look similar so it's easy to get confused just looking at the fruits. One distinguishing characteristic of this fruit is it only has one seed inside each fruit. Starapples always have many seeds inside.

[Mike T]

Fair enough Oscar it is just the picture looked kinda the same from my memory.I can't remember what was going on in the seed department but I will re-acquaint myself with them in a few months.

[BMc]

mike, did you ever get the species name for 'Juicy Pearl'?
Its the small pink fruited single seeded green leaved type. 

[Mike T]

No Bmc I didn't hear any species name. I know I have had single seeded types.

[koryph]

So has anyone gotten any sort of appreciable yield here in Florida from any cultivar?

[davidgarcia899]

So has anyone gotten any sort of appreciable yield here in Florida from any cultivar?

I haven't yet, I know people who claim to get very large crops

[ReneeFLL]

There are a couple of trees in west Davie that are about 30 feet. They produce a lot of fruit. As for taste to me it taste good, but then it is the only one I have ever eaten. Others say it tastes good.
I don't know of thay are named varieties or not. I can check next time I go out there.

[koryph]

There are a couple of trees in west Davie that are about 30 feet. They produce a lot of fruit. As for taste to me it taste good, but then it is the only one I have ever eaten. Others say it tastes good.
I don't know of thay are named varieties or not. I can check next time I go out there.

Ya let me know what they are when you next go out there

[Coconut]

Thank fruitlover for the insight, Pm you for seeds of this camito kissing cousin.  Are scions available?  Thank again for bringing light to the starfruit family!

[fruitlovers]

Thank fruitlover for the insight, Pm you for seeds of this camito kissing cousin.  Are scions available?  Thank again for bringing light to the starfruit family!

Yes scions are available even though i haven't added it to my list. I guess they are not so easy to graft though. Has anyone had luck grafting starapple (caimito)?

[Coconut]

Thanks oscar, I paypal you. Chrysophyllum auratum scions, let me chainsaw 18  Caimito tree down first so i can have some new growth twigs pop out for grafting on your's  scion in a few months.  I am really excited about your Chrysophyllum auratum year round fruiting.  Small fruit who care, all we Epicurean want is a delicious starfruit, it all about umami.

[ReneeFLL]

There are a couple of trees in west Davie that are about 30 feet. They produce a lot of fruit. As for taste to me it taste good, but then it is the only one I have ever eaten. Others say it tastes good.
I don't know of thay are named varieties or not. I can check next time I go out there.

Ya let me know what they are when you next go out there

I will. I ate the fruit and have a couple of seeds I planted. I forgot to get the name so I also need it.