The Tropical Fruit Forum

Feijoa

Forecast was for 43F overnight, we hight 35F. Forecast was way off, for some reason they really got last night/this morning wrong. 1-2-3 punch of cold, most cold I've seen here in SoFL.

dorian, yes, wunder map is great! But when it can swing 3-5+ degrees in either direction and the critical freezing threshold is involved it makes it very difficult.

This wasn't an issue for me in prior years the forecast was generally accurate. This year has been a disaster.

Especially in key agricultural areas of FL where this is major $$ on the line.

What do you expect with NOAA gutted- expect it to be worse next year, and there will be a concomitant rise of paid weather prediction services

So jealous of your new locale Kevin-

I know the move was a giant PITA but seeing the fruit of your labors in just this short time is really cool

Saba senegalensis, Saba comorensis, and Vitex doniana. Not sure how many of these survived 28f we will see.

IME your Saba are cooked but I hope im wrong-

The rarest fruit plant I have growing is probably Ochagavia elegans (plant export is restricted from Robinson Crusoe Islands now IIRC) or an undescribed Myrteola spp. from Ben Kamm over at Sacred Succulents that he collected seed from in Peru

I think the rough rule of thumb is when you see new growth push- not sure how that translates to bananas exactly though, winter always kills em for me in Houston

18F killed a mature tree

Cool find Marcos-

Any notes on cold tolerance? I like Quenepa but in my experience they are ultra-tropicals.

not to be pedantic but surely you mean anti-microbial properties?

unless you are taking about live soil balance and promoting good microbes?

nice write ups- Sounds like you definitely got the short end of Lima- I have seen some of the parts you are describing but there are also lots of nice parts!

that was going to be my second recommendation- could be fungal or just too much water, both of which would be helped by increasing drainage,

i havent grown vulpina but others can handle wet roots fine

Posting an update on these as we have some developments-

Agapetes rubrobracteata NV101
This blueberry relative was an exciting find from a small mostly deforested limestone ridge in Vietnam. It was a small compact 12"-18" shrub growing both in the rocks and epiphytically with orchids on the few trees left. Evergreen with boss white tubular flowers and a red berry sheltered by 3 large red bracts. Edible. This will get larger with longer stems when growing in cushy cultivation.

Text sourced from farreachesfarm.com

This is our second time getting fruit of this little plant from Far Reaches Farm. A. rubrobracteata is the most palatable of the genus that we have tried so far, sweet with a lot of "red" flavor, I pollinated this flower back in May and it is just ripening now. I will distribute the seeds from this fruit to SFSU as I am having issues with damping off and it seems most plants in the US are from cuttings of this original clone.








Sphyrospermum cordifolium
Blueberry kin: Semi-epiphytic sprawling shrublet with arching branches 1–2′ long. Small lanceolate leaves, pink-bronze new growth. Little, egg shaped, white-pink flowers. Edible sweet berries, white with a violet blush. Occurs throughout the cloudforests of the Andes, this seed originated in Ecuador. Leaves applied topically for heart pains. Rooted cuttings from several seed grown plants. Acid soil, filtered light. Z9b?

Text sourced from sacredsucculents.com

We recently acquired this plant from and SFSU sale- the berries are palatable enough but nothing to write home about- hopefully with some selection they will become sweeter and better. Beautiful little epiphyte that takes temps down to 40 easily.







Agapetes aff. praeclara SEH#25095
Another tremendous flowering species native to temperate rainforests of the eastern Himalaya. This is an arching plant with bright pink-purple new growth. The small, very rugose and glossy leaves are ovate and slightly toothed and the tubular flowers which hang in clusters range from pink (indoor cultivation) to almost red (colder temps outside). New to cultivation and a great addition to the palette of Agapetes species in cultivation. (+15F) RSBG

Text sourced from rhodygarden.org


Another first flowering for us- the blooms on this are just gorgeous, will hand pollinate these flowers which means this and Ceratostema kiatana should be the next neotropical blueberries we are able to taste. This came to us as an unknown species numbered by the Rhododendron Species Botanical Garden, but it would seem the people over at Andys Orchids have nailed it as Agapetes praeclara.









Going to try some crosses soon as well, I am sure many will be familiar with the story of how the modern strawberry is a hybrid of two somewhat palatable species, maybe we can follow a similar formula here and get a winning fruit with a cross.

Edible Uses
Leaves - raw or cooked[332]. Wherever it occurs in Africa, the leaf is valued as a tasty vegetable, usually eaten finely shredded for addition to soup or made up into condiments, or even taken raw[332]. To soften this rather tough vegetable, people often mix it with waterleaf (Talinum triangulare)[299]. Shredded leaves can be dried and preserved for later use[299]. The leaves have a very high nutritional value and constitute an important source of protein, essential amino acids and mineral elements[401].
Leafy stems remain fresh for at least a week after harvesting[299].
The dry matter content of the fresh leaves is much higher than for other dark or medium green leaf vegetables. This gives a feeling of firmness during preparation, hence certain consumers consider the leaves as a substitute for meat[299]. The leaves of this species are somewhat thinner and paler than the dark green leaves of the related Gnetum buchholzianum[299].

Fruit pulp[332].

Seed[332]. The mature seed is 15 - 15mm long, enclosed in a somewhat drupaceous orange-tinted envelope.

The tubers are sometimes eaten - especially at times of scarcity[401].

Climbing members of this genus growing in Asia yield a potable sap[332]. This species should also be looked at in this respect[332].
Medicinal
The leaf is used in the treatment of enlarged spleen, sore throat, piles, high blood pressure and as a cathartic[299, 332]. It is eaten as a treatment against nausea and is considered antidotal against arrow-poison based on Parquetina nigrescens[299, 332]. The leaves are chewed to mitigate the effects of drunkenness and they are taken as an enema against constipation[299].
Applied externally, the chopped-up leaf serves as a dressing on warts and boils to hasten maturation[332, 401].

The stem is cut up into small pieces and infused to produce a tisane that is taken to ease childbirth and reduce the pain[332].

From Ken Ferns, seem like quite a useful plant also

Propagation
Seed - difficult to germinate in nursery conditions, though the plants self-sow successfully in the wild[401]. It is assumed that seeds need pre-treatment, such as passing through the intestines of a bird, fruit bat, squirrel or other animal, before they germinate[299].
Seed is normally found only in the tree canopy[299]. Seed collection is thus far from easy, a further reason why the plant is hardly cultivated[299].
Methods of vegetative propagation using leafy stem cuttings have recently been developed. It is recommended that leaf blades of cuttings be trimmed in half[299]. Nursery beds under shade and made of well-decomposed sawdust or fine river sand can be used for propagation[299]. Ectomycorrhizae assist the roots in absorption of nutrients; the most common species reported is Scleroderma sinnamarense. After about 6 weeks the rooted cuttings are transferred to polythene sleeves, bamboo pots or other containers where they remain for a further 2 - 3 months. The soil mixture for these containers consists of 25% sand and some compost, supplemented with forest soil[299]. Field planting, preferably next to a young tree or shrub, takes place at the beginning of the rainy season[299].

Seems you got quite lucky on the collection/cultivation also

yeah palm fruits are good but tough with the height a lot of them achieve-

from what I have heard they can be maintained in pots for a while which naturally stunts them and you can get some fruit but IIRC this is one of the insanely tall ones