Selling: Grafted Green Caimito

[BENDERSGROVE]

We have grafted green Caimito in 3 gallon size available for $35 each. Pick up only, limited supply. Thanks Mike

[murahilin]

Do you know what cultivar it is?

[BENDERSGROVE]

Impolito.

[murahilin]

Do you know anything about the history of this cultivar or the quality of the fruit? So far, I've liked the one green star apple that I've had more than any purple. It was a 'Jaco Beach' cultivar.

[Mike T]

There are a number of green caimito varieties here but only Grimal Green has a name. I was recently told by a commercial grower and fruit whizz that 2 excellent caimito varieties - one greenish that are grown on his farm are other species and not caimito at all. Neither has as much color beneath the leaves and one is more cold tolerant. They look like caimito and maybe taste better and when I get fruit or find out the species names I will report back.

[fruitlovers]

There are a number of green caimito varieties here but only Grimal Green has a name. I was recently told by a commercial grower and fruit whizz that 2 excellent caimito varieties - one greenish that are grown on his farm are other species and not caimito at all. Neither has as much color beneath the leaves and one is more cold tolerant. They look like caimito and maybe taste better and when I get fruit or find out the species names I will report back.

Mike, if there is no bronze fuzz on underside of the leaves then it's definitely not species cainito. This genus chrysophyllum is fairly large with 88 accepted species http://www.theplantlist.org/browse/A/Sapotaceae/Chrysophyllum/ and all the ones i've seen the fruits all look fairly similar and are edible.

[BENDERSGROVE]

Do you know anything about the history of this cultivar or the quality of the fruit? So far, I've liked the one green star apple that I've had more than any purple. It was a 'Jaco Beach' cultivar.

I tasted it at Lara's, it was excellent,way better than any purple, even the seedling growing at PIN is way better than any purple.

[fruitlovers]

Do you know anything about the history of this cultivar or the quality of the fruit? So far, I've liked the one green star apple that I've had more than any purple. It was a 'Jaco Beach' cultivar.

I tasted it at Lara's, it was excellent,way better than any purple, even the seedling growing at PIN is way better than any purple.

That's like saying that green mangos are way better than red mangos. A rather meaningless statement. Colors don't define cultivars or types of caimitos or of mangos. There are good types in both green and purple caimito camps.

[BENDERSGROVE]

Do you know anything about the history of this cultivar or the quality of the fruit? So far, I've liked the one green star apple that I've had more than any purple. It was a 'Jaco Beach' cultivar.

I tasted it at Lara's, it was excellent,way better than any purple, even the seedling growing at PIN is way better than any purple.

That's like saying that green mangos are way better than red mangos. A rather meaningless statement. Colors don't define cultivars or types of caimitos or of mangos. There are good types in both green and purple caimito camps.

All I am saying is I have eaten many of both and prefer the green, to me has a more subtle taste, my opinion, but I definitely taste a difference between green and purple. Some people I am sure prefer the purple, that is just my personal feeling, not saying one is better than the other, just my own twisted taste buds

[Mike T]

There are some great as well as pretty ordinary purples. I have tried some really good reds and golds and I can say the worst I have eaten is Haitian purple.Oscar is probably right that the color is not so important as the variety in terms of fruit quality.

[bsbullie]

I have tasted that green variety from Lara's as well as some of their purple ones.  I have also tasted purple ones from two locations is Palm Beach County as well as the one Sheehan refers to as "Jaco Beach".  I thought the green one from Lara's was a lighter flavored fruit as compared to most I have had.  Now maybe it was picked a tad underripe, who knows, that is one of the issues I find with the green caimito...when is optimal peak ripeness for harvesting.  Compared to Jaco Beach, Jaco Beach was much better.  As Oscar has said, I have had some really good purple caimito and som just "ok" purple ones.

[fruitlovers]

There are some great as well as pretty ordinary purples. I have tried some really good reds and golds and I can say the worst I have eaten is Haitian purple.Oscar is probably right that the color is not so important as the variety in terms of fruit quality.

I think the purple caimito probably got a bad reputation due to the fact that most everyone is only familiar with the Haitian cultivar. Don't know why Whitman selected this one and popularized it? Probably the only tree he found in Haiti? Really there are very good purple caimitos out there, you'll have to trust me on that till you get to taste one.

[Coconut]

The best purple i have tasted came from central vietnam, the best green gold i have tasted came from burma and madagascar. I have been gravely disappointed with camito grown here in Florida, even the Lara farm green was mediocre. I have been growing camito for 20 years in Boca raton & Parkland properties and I have chainsaw down 20 so plus varieties purchased at PIN, Frankie, lara , excalibur, etc; for what ever reason Florida climate or soil does not produce a flavorful fruit nor productive tree.  The one I have in Hawaii & Fiji were superior to my florida trees even though its the same cultivars brought back.
  And yes I have came to the same conclusion that the Hatian cultivar is uninspiring to put it mildly. Camito is my favorite fruit and of late the only tree still left standing in my grove collection, g is the Green Emerald from Hawaii which i found better than the common jacob green popularize by those rfc people a few year back. So from my experiences, its not the color of the fruit, its our Florida Climate or soil that is not producing the flavor profile we have came to expect from tasting fantastic camito in the best far flung tropic.  I recall on a dive trip in Belize, fishing in Costa Rica & colombia this year; some of the wild trees we ran into were superior to any of my own best selection. So it has to be something in our soil or climate that ghe Sunshine state is not becoming a camito growing region of the world. On the plus side I sm replacing my 19 camito trees with tampoi angulata and tampoi macro... Species... I am recently hook on them from diving trip in Indonesia, wish me luck

[fruitlovers]

Coconut, interesting to hear about your experiences with caimitos in different locations. Lack of flavor in Florida caimitos could be due to soil or climate or both. I wonder if the high pH soils are to blame? Maybe also they don't like occasional arctic blasts that occur in Florida?

[Coconut]

Hey that is it Oscar!! Why I did I not think of that.  Yes you are right, its the artic blast that that come and ruin the flavor during our camito ripening period.  All my kepel seedlings (seed got from you)survive the artic blast of the last three years, I put them under my camito tree out in parkland  and they thrive, my jackfruit froze to death. Thanks for your cold resistant kepel strain. The kepel strains ii got from excaliber & jakarta , singapore all suffer during the last three years of artic blast. Thanks now i have to convince my HOA to allow me to built a greenhouse around my 25 feet tall camito, flavorful fruit I will have; now I have to worry abou Hurricane & occasion Tornado:D