The Tropical Fruit Forum

My best so far was La Habra Late, which may be the same as Late Gold.

It's really close to Leo#3, but it sets fruit more easily for me in the dry desert, and it's very late.

Between pear and soursop!

Wow, sounds like a bucket list type fruit.

Eucalyptol/pine resin. There's a few mangoes from the American tropics which have a more intense pinene/ eucalyptol type resin. If it's super stringy start thinking East Indian, but honestly you can get a somewhat resiny sap smell from VP as well. Report back with ripe tasting results. VP is peachy dipping into coconut on the back end.

Time to put on the Aussie hat and go on a bushunt!

I've caused this with foliar feeding at flush time, I'm thinking the timing might be better just prior to flushing.

Pretty tree/fruit. Mine has not grown as vigorously, but it's getting grafted to new rootstock soon.

Hopefully the fruit is better next year!

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Raul describes the ilamas he found in Coatepec as, juicy

I ate probably 30-40 different fruits from various sellers in El Salvador and not one was ever "juicy" and would drip. Not going to say they were dry, but probably not even white sapote levels of moisture. More moist than a mamey, I guess, but not by much. Fluffy is a better description, for me.

I have a simply insane amount of seeds, so I have plenty of chances. I'll sell some if anyone wants to try. Tried to keep seeds only of the very best ones.

Is it "fluffy" like inga? Sometimes Inga are described as juicy, especially ones with high brix that trigger salivation (think cotton candy).

I had grown a seedling which I eventually grafted onto a cherimoya rootstock. It gave only a handful of fruits over the years. And the flowers did not accept cherimoya or atemoya pollens.  I thought it has the sweetness and texture of a sweet potatoe in a not so good way. Mind you this was a seedling and not a named cultivar which probably is much superior. In addition, mine never cracked it would just drop. From what I heard it's best when it cracks.  Which worries me a bit also, as crack cherimoya and atemoya here tends to get moldy before ripening here in my area. So that is interesting for ilama.

When it comes to Anona, texture plays a big part.  Most Asians consider the atemoya superior due to texture. As it is more firm and pleasantly chewy.  If you do not like this texture you would call it rubbery, chewy in bad way, and scallopy lol.  For most American western pallette the cherimoya is superior and the texture is describe as pleasantly custardly. Those that don't like it will call it mushy baby food, lol.  With that said I don't know many with a western taste bud that will pay $15 to $20 a lb for cherimoyas except fruitnuts like us.  While many asians easily pay this for a quality atemoya.  So depending on texture, I could see why asians would not like the ilama.

My perfect Anona would be one with all the superior cherimoya flavors but the texture of a atemoya or firm sweetsop. It took me some years to get past that bit of atemoya aftertaste that reminds a little of rubber, lol. I think it comes from the sweetsop genes and i still taste this in any hybrids. I grow mostly atemoya now.  But if anyone has a pure genetic cherimoya with a atemoya texture, let me know.

I've never had a pure cherimoya with that texture, but plenty of the 3/4 moya's will have it, and they seem to thrive in the intense heat waves of east county. Probably the best choice for targeting that market. (I enjoy the Jak texture too)

That aftertaste is what I describe as phenolic. It's a common defect in coffee, and can remind people of things like strawberry flavor added to those rubber balloons you used to buy at convenience stores and inflate on the end of the straw.  Some people appreciate the flavor, but I can understand why you'd be more inclined to find that bubblegum or Pierce type flavor.

I have a moya with the bubblegum flavor which isn't consistent, it needs to be evaluated for a few more years, but it can have a firmer texture, but not as firm as the 3/4 moyas, which all seem to have that flavor you dislike to some extent.

Looking for Chaffey seed or seedlings. Open to trades as well.

Pretty sure it will work out if you tried to grow it.

Give it a go!

I've not seen old trees, the oldest I've seen is a big one in El Cajon.

The literature says that the older trees are susceptible to nematodes, and the one I'm thinking of is in heavier soil which seems to prevent the nematodes from doing too well.

I'll be bringing it to wetter WA. It's easier to see in person than to capture in photos.

One of them was ripe so I cut it. It was super sweet.
My taste buds are very sensitive to sweet since I am more into non sweet chocolate and got used to it.
I am surprised that Keit mango is not only gigantic but also taste so good. Why don't  people rave about it?

I'm a fan, but there are other varieties that many prefer.
The lemony musk that Keitt is not something you find in the newer, more widely hyped mangoes, and the shelf life of Keitt is also not common.

If you try some of the newer, less nuanced, more candy sweet intense ones, you'll see why. A candy-like fruit really draws people in, but I'm right there with you, some subtlety and nuance goes a lot further with me.

You may enjoy Maha Chanok. It's not as sweet as the newer types, but it has more subtlety, and when grown in SoCal, some of the fruit are excellent and have parsnip and durio flavors. It can also produce multiple crops like Keitt.

That said, it's a mono type, so you will want to graft it to established rootstock, which is a game for the most patient, 4-7 year wait time.