Best tasting eugenias?

[brian]

Eugenias seem to be really easy to grow, and there is a huge number of varieties.  Any suggestions on best types?  I have only tasted surinam cherry (excellent) and pitangatuba (okay) so far.   

[K-Rimes]

For me of what I've tried so far

1. Pitanga
2. Pitomba
3. Candolleana
4. Cherry of the rio grande / Calycina
5. Pitangatuba

Have my first flowers on cedar bay right now and should get some other eugenia next year, there are something like a thousand fruiting eugenia so... Lots more to taste!

[brian]

Great to hear!  I have those other three types, waiting for fruit.  The rainforest plum has flowered repeatedly but no fruit set yet. 

[Jaboticaba45]

There was a thread about this topic here: https://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=14202.0
My favorite is probably pitomba.

[brian]

thank you for digging that up, looking now

[skhan]

Candolleana by a long shot for me

[Adam8aTexas]

I’ve heard uvaias (Eugenia Pyriformis) are tasty, and ubaias (Eugenia Patrisii) as well! Really obscure one I’ve heard is tasty is burkartiana. Fruits are very flavorful and have a good seed to flesh ratio.

[brian]

Thanks for suggestions!

..
4. Cherry of the rio grande / Calycina
...

I am seeing "Cherry of the rio grande" listed as Eugenia Involucrata by two sellers -  and Eugenia Calycina as "Savannah Cherry".... any idea which is correct?

Anybody ever try monticola?   https://www.etsy.com/listing/1104015749/eugenia-monticola-anguila-rodwood

or pseudopsidium / "chrismas cherry"?  I see a few sellers have this

or lugustrina / "red privet stopper"?

[brian]

I’ve heard uvaias (Eugenia Pyriformis) are tasty, and ubaias (Eugenia Patrisii) as well! Really obscure one I’ve heard is tasty is burkartiana. Fruits are very flavorful and have a good seed to flesh ratio.

Wow, I see burkartiana listed for ~$100/seed!  Looks like an ugly fruit, but could be tasty

I ordered some Patrisii seeds from somebody selling them in the buy/sell/trade.

[Mike T]

Some odd answers here. The best unifloras, yellow grumis, dysentaria, candolleana, pyriformis x lutesens pitomba, lutescens, multicostata, sweet form of patrisii are some near the fron of the quality line. We could double the list but some mentioned are not in the same league

[K-Rimes]

Candolleana by a long shot for me

I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of candolleana. Super sweet!

[ScottR]

Surinam cherry's and Cherry of the Rio Grande were my fav's but had my seedling purple grumichama fruit first time this year, now it's top of my list.

[K-Rimes]

Surinam cherry's and Cherry of the Rio Grande were my fav's but had my seedling purple grumichama fruit first time this year, now it's top of my list.

I've heard grumi is the best of eugenia. I look forward to mine holding some fruit sets this year. Are you flooding yours?

[Mike T]

Big fruited yellow and orange grumis are the best of that species but are still nowhere near as good as say lutescens

[brian]

Thanks for sharing your experience, Mike.

I can't find any source for lutescens, unfortunately. 

[JoeP450]

Surinam cherry's and Cherry of the Rio Grande were my fav's but had my seedling purple grumichama fruit first time this year, now it's top of my list.

Hey Scott do you have a pic of the purple cherry? Curious what that looks 👍

Thanks,
Joe

[digigarden]

Thanks for suggestions!

..
4. Cherry of the rio grande / Calycina
...

I am seeing "Cherry of the rio grande" listed as Eugenia Involucrata by two sellers -  and Eugenia Calycina as "Savannah Cherry".... any idea which is correct?


Anybody ever try monticola?   https://www.etsy.com/listing/1104015749/eugenia-monticola-anguila-rodwood

or pseudopsidium / "chrismas cherry"?  I see a few sellers have this

or lugustrina / "red privet stopper"?

pseudopsidium did saw a tree in a botanical park unfortunately had no fruit.
i have these other two...

monticola is very tart and small fruit. almost no meat. rarely seen it with fruit. more piney than uniflora(which is already piney enough xD) these are called arrayán over here and are used as ornamentals for rich houses/mansions front yard/sidewalks. sometimes plants pop up randomly where i live there's many. in the country side they used to use these as brooms.

ligustrina is also piney but a bit less than monticola, small fruit but not as small,red and tart. very small plant or bush. it produces a ton of fruit.

these are very ornamental and just barely edible xD

[digigarden]

if Pitanga is the best tasting eugenia we are in SERIOUS trouble  now i am growing 20 eugenias...they're fun to grow and collect tho.
Syzygium seem to be much better tasting and larger

[K-Rimes]

Thanks for suggestions!

..
4. Cherry of the rio grande / Calycina
...

I am seeing "Cherry of the rio grande" listed as Eugenia Involucrata by two sellers -  and Eugenia Calycina as "Savannah Cherry".... any idea which is correct?

Anybody ever try monticola?   https://www.etsy.com/listing/1104015749/eugenia-monticola-anguila-rodwood

or pseudopsidium / "chrismas cherry"?  I see a few sellers have this

or lugustrina / "red privet stopper"?

From what I understand there is some confusion as to whether calycina is truly a different species, or if it should be regarded more as a cultivar of CORG. They taste and look very similar hence putting them in the same sentence. My calycina makes teensy weensy little fruits so I'll probably end up grafting it with some higher quality scion if they don't plump up this year. A shame since it's now 25 gallon and grows fantastic vegetatively.

[Kevin Jones]

My Garnet CORG/Calycina trees have been producing large yellow fleshed fruit with a very juicy Peachy/Apricot flavor with a hint of Pineapple... and no off-taste at all.

Kevin






















 

[ScottR]

Surinam cherry's and Cherry of the Rio Grande were my fav's but had my seedling purple grumichama fruit first time this year, now it's top of my list.

I've heard grumi is the best of eugenia. I look forward to mine holding some fruit sets this year. Are you flooding yours?

No, Kevin mine are in ground with regular drip line water.

[shaneatwell]

On the candolleana does anyone have named varieties or tried grafting?

[K-Rimes]

On the candolleana does anyone have named varieties or tried grafting?

Haven't heard of that yet. There are quite a few eugenia that I am surprised are not cultivated yet. I've had some REALLY good pitangatubas out of hand, sweet with no sour and then other which are straight up warhead level sour. We should be propagating the good stuff on here more. CORG has some named varieties, pitanga has many... Pitomba I've heard of good and bad... Candolleana seems to be a winner pretty much every time from everyone I read of though.

I also think there are serious advantages to grafting on a different genetic for cross pollination. I've done that on my CORG and seem to get way better fruit set compared to the others which are not grafted.

[Bush2Beach]

Candolleana can be okay and it can be really good.
Just like most Eugenia, there is still alot of need for selecting and grafting .

Calycina seem’s very close cousin to COrG but different leaf shape , pistal color, fruit shape.

There are a ton of Eugenia,  99.9% most people haven’t tasted.
Of The one’s in regular rotation,  COrg is best for CA and Mediterranean coastal area’s.
Grumixama is best for more heat, rain and humidity.
The best CORG and Grumixama I have had were significantly bigger and better than Candolleana.

[pineislander]

One advantage a grower friend here in Florida has mentioned about Candolleana is in regards to weather.
Grumichama tends to bear very early spring for us when weather is our dryest time and if not kept well watered doesn't set and hold so much fruit. Candolleana has more than one fruiting season which fall within our rainy season.
Have ot