Need help ID'ing, Flacourtia ???

[Julian R]

Hey all, I've got a couple plants that I grew from seed.  I was at the fruit and spice park in 2022 and was fortunate to get to try several fruits and I planted all the seeds out. This one in particular was from a bushy plant that had a bunch of darker colored round fruit that had fallen on the ground.  I wish I had taken pictures of it back then but all I have as evidence are the plants that popped up! I remember them being likely very overripe as they had a very strong brown sugar flavor.  I suspect it to be some species of Flacourtia, potentially Governors Plum or Coffee plum.  Anyways, here are some pics!

[TnTrobbie]

Not my picture but does this look like the fruit you had a the F&SP whose seeds sprouted to the plants you have now?

[Julian R]

From memory it did look similar to that, they were very very ripe though.  I remember them being a bit darker.

[TnTrobbie]

The ones I ate in Guyana can get deep purple red- almost like plums. But the size and shape of the fruit looks correct. The thorns and their placement look identical to mines, but your leaves look thicker and greener (tell me you secret ). The other Flacourtia sourced from nurseries in the US...their thorns resemble those of bougainvilleas.

[Julian R]

The thorns and their placement look identical to mines, but your leaves look thicker and greener (tell me you secret ).

So far the only thing these guys have gotten is neglect!  I used the same soil mix I use for my Jaboticaba and Eugenia, just peat moss perlite and holly tone!   

[skhan]

Not to Hijack this thread but there doesn't seem a thread that discusses this much.

I got an air layer from Laras a while ago after a few grafted trees bought from PR failed.
I had the from for the first time from F&S park, such a delicious fruit that no one seems to talk about. October fruit, multiple harvest, and shade tolerant

I got it from the tree label Rukam but i think that might have swapped the indica and rukam around at F&S.

I finally got my first fruit yesterday, it was even better since i forgot it and let it get really dark on the tree.

[TnTrobbie]

Nice.

My only fruiting plant is the one I too got from Lara Farms as well. Dwarf and thornless. I got seedlings from a thronless/ thornfew off etsy. My seedlings from Guyana all have thorns. They've thus far been thriving in the shade.

[skhan]

Nice.

My only fruiting plant is the one I too got from Lara Farms as well. Dwarf and thornless. I got seedlings from a thronless/ thornfew off etsy. My seedlings from Guyana all have thorns. They've thus far been thriving in the shade.

O nice, are any of the seedling ones flowering. I heard some of them are dioecious.
I might try getting another grafted one from Etsy, it took me a while to figure out how to not kill them when they are little. I treated them like annonas and they seem to like that.

[Ermes]

Hi Julian, it's a small Flacourtia jangomas tree, usually a dioecious species.
Mine, planted about 18 months ago, is growing well, but hasn't flowered yet.

[Julian R]

Hi Julian, it's a small Flacourtia jangomas tree, usually a dioecious species.
Mine, planted about 18 months ago, is growing well, but hasn't flowered yet.

Hopefully I'll only need the two I have!  I need to pot them up (or find some land for them)... they seem like they want to grow extremely quickly.  Have not flowered for me yet either.

[Jaboticaba45]

Nice you guys found a good tasting one

I tried the interemis sp in Costa Rica, known as lovi lovi
Horrible fruits but so beautiful bright red
Not much taste, kinda sour/bitter

Such a beautiful tree
Looks like Christmas tree

[Rob From Sydney]

I got to try lovi lovi last year. The tree was stunning - bright red fruits in clusters of 4 everywhere (kind of gave me holly vibes) and I remember the tree being semi-weeping. Beautiful, but the fruits were the most astringent things I have ever put in my mouth.

[Chandramohan]

Julian, from your description of the fruit, it appears to be Flacourtia montana. I have an airlayer, which has not fruited, but I have eaten the fruits from the parent, which are very sweet.