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Tropical Fruit Discussion / Re: Cambucá and other trees
« on: July 20, 2015, 03:19:18 PM »
Still kinda going mad trying to pin this down.
Established that the raceme flowering pattern is pretty much the same as candolleana. The leaves don't have any real aroma when crushed, especially compared to the grimal leaf crushed as control.
Thing is, I got this plant, at the very latest, in 1997. Throughout the time I've had it, it has never had a growth pattern similar to my Suriname cherry, and roughly grows slightly slower than the grimal. My thumb ain't that green, and I haven't really been able to care for any of my plants, like repots or root-pruning, and this one has almost died a couple of times--but it has *never* shown the vigor that has been talked about in the candolleana thread, and my Suriname Cherry is a very compliant, robust, have to really try to kill it sort of plant. It hates, very much, changes in light patterns, and as a small plant, very intolerant of anything like full sun. Really needs its micronutrients, too.
The other major issue is that at the time I got it, there was really rather little interest in Eugenias, and Jim West was still pretty much at the forefront with E. stipitata and victoriana. Pitomba was the most exotic Eugenia plants offered in the states. If I were to have been cheated state-side, this could, practically speaking, only be E. floribunda. For several reasons, I've had to judge that unlikely. So that mostly has meant some sort of issue with collection in Brazil. Who down there would know about candolleana in the mid-90's? I suppose they would know E. florida, but doesn't sounds like the right sort of flowers or the right color trunk. Also, there are a number of Plinia, like rivularis and renatiana, that also has racemes instead of cauliflorus blossoms. I've also have noticed that E. pyriformis has very diverse characteristics, with fruit that might pass for a cambuca. Just mindboggling.
Established that the raceme flowering pattern is pretty much the same as candolleana. The leaves don't have any real aroma when crushed, especially compared to the grimal leaf crushed as control.
Thing is, I got this plant, at the very latest, in 1997. Throughout the time I've had it, it has never had a growth pattern similar to my Suriname cherry, and roughly grows slightly slower than the grimal. My thumb ain't that green, and I haven't really been able to care for any of my plants, like repots or root-pruning, and this one has almost died a couple of times--but it has *never* shown the vigor that has been talked about in the candolleana thread, and my Suriname Cherry is a very compliant, robust, have to really try to kill it sort of plant. It hates, very much, changes in light patterns, and as a small plant, very intolerant of anything like full sun. Really needs its micronutrients, too.
The other major issue is that at the time I got it, there was really rather little interest in Eugenias, and Jim West was still pretty much at the forefront with E. stipitata and victoriana. Pitomba was the most exotic Eugenia plants offered in the states. If I were to have been cheated state-side, this could, practically speaking, only be E. floribunda. For several reasons, I've had to judge that unlikely. So that mostly has meant some sort of issue with collection in Brazil. Who down there would know about candolleana in the mid-90's? I suppose they would know E. florida, but doesn't sounds like the right sort of flowers or the right color trunk. Also, there are a number of Plinia, like rivularis and renatiana, that also has racemes instead of cauliflorus blossoms. I've also have noticed that E. pyriformis has very diverse characteristics, with fruit that might pass for a cambuca. Just mindboggling.