Chrysophyllum cainito - Caimito

[luc]

In season again , I think I even like them better than Abiu .

[RodneyS]

Do you have seeds available, Luc?  How many years does it take a seedling to bear fruit?

[luc]

Yes I have seeds but I think they do better in a more tropical/warmer climate .

[BMc]

They are pretty tough, but don't like frost or wind. Seedlings often get huge before bearing. I like them as much as abiu.

[digigarden]

yes better than abiu which is my least favorite of the family. best is a good sapodilla

[Tropicquest]

Would love seeds if any available!

[bsbullie]

I picked a bunch last week also.  While I do like them a lot, they are no match to a quality, well ripened abiu.  Maybe if the flesh of the caimito was not limited and had more substance they might give abiu a run for its money.

[fruitlovers]

I picked a bunch last week also.  While I do like them a lot, they are no match to a quality, well ripened abiu.  Maybe if the flesh of the caimito was not limited and had more substance they might give abiu a run for its money.

You must be eating wimpy sized caimitos Rob. Mine are as big as the biggest of the abius. There are really improved fruits in both camps, but mine beat any abiu i've ever had, although i really like both fruits. Most people have never had a good caimito. There is very little diversity out there. Most are only familiar with those tiny Haitian types that Whitman introduced. I think they are really not very good and they are tiny! Here you can see Haitian type on left and mine on the right.
Here is another photo Rob, just in case the last has not made a believer of you yet  These bad boyz are over 1/2 kilo each:

The caimito has the added advantage of being beautiful as well as tasty, purple star shapes are a real treat to the eye as well as to the taste buds.

[bsbullie]

In the mortal words of Phil Rizzuto, HOLY COW!!  Those bad boys are HUGE!  Yes, I believe if the ones I had were that big that I would seriously have t o think twice about which was better when compared to abiu.  The ones I have had have been of excellent quality but if they had that much edible flesh I think not only myself but others would feel that the caimito is an equal or better fruit.  You have actually now got me bummed...

[Mike T]

I am on the fencewith picking which is better in this comparason.Haitians are the poorest and most common starapple around here but still are better than a bad abiu.Grimal Green,the big purples, pink and philuipine gold starapples are way better and are lovely fruit.They might rival the good abius but I have had some abius I thought were better than any caimito even the pink ones (which may not be C.cainito).

[Sleepdoc]

The tree I have bears fruit that look very similar to Oscars. I am still trying to figure out the perfect picking time.  Mine are also very low in latex even when picked early.

I ate 3 of them yesterday , all at varying degrees of ripeness.  I thought they were nice eating fruits.  Very low to nearly zero latex, and beautiful and deep in color.  Tasted like a light refreshing grape -ish flavor. 

They have a much different flavor than the Abiu I have had.  Not as sweet, with more of a light and refreshing taste. 

[luc]

I am on the fencewith picking which is better in this comparason.Haitians are the poorest and most common starapple around here but still are better than a bad abiu.Grimal Green,the big purples, pink and philuipine gold starapples are way better and are lovely fruit.They might rival the good abius but I have had some abius I thought were better than any caimito even the pink ones (which may not be C.cainito).

Mike or anybody else , do you have pics of these Pink and Phillipine Gold starapples ?

In another forum somebody mentioned Abiu can be reproduced from cuttings .....?

The pic I posted is from fruit growing at sealevel , my trees don't even wanna flower ...at 300 meters.

[Mike T]

Luc here a few starapples I got last season.None are true pinks or philipine gold but the small dark purples are haitian.I posted pinks and big purple pix on previous posts but it might take some hunting to get the photos or maybe I deleted them.

[Mike T]

The one here is a variation of pink.

These are white fleshed copper starapples


1.2lb purple and I'm still looking luc.........I can't find pix of true pinks or philipine golds.

[Mike T]

Abiu,durian and Lansium can all be marcotted/air layered but cutting are unlikely to take I think.

[fruitlovers]

I'll take some photos of Phillippine Gold when they ripen up. I took photos of my C. auratum and posted on a previous thread. Not really pink but have a pinkish tinge when fully ripe. Can't really see it in this photo, you'll have to imagine it:

[Felipe]

Luc here a few starapples I got last season.None are true pinks or philipine gold but the small dark purples are haitian.I posted pinks and big purple pix on previous posts but it might take some hunting to get the photos or maybe I deleted them.

WOW MIKE!! Great genetic variation you have there! From those on the picture, which one was tha tastiest? So far, the best caimito I have ever had, was a big green one.

[Mike T]

Felipe, The darkest 2 are haitian and they have more latex,thicker skin and less flavor.The other 4 types are all very good with the green one being a named type called grimal.The white fleshed copper at the back,reds and purple fleshed copper x in the middle have different flavors and are equally good.There are quite a few locally available types of good quality not pictured and they include philipine gold,pinks,big purples and greens.There are some tasty types that have mostly pale flesh with a small amount of purple.