The Tropical Fruit Forum

Looks like GreatLakesRareFruits is a Bellamy Trees customer. I'm seeing a lot of overlap between Kameron's recent auctions and this guy's selections, as far as species. Of course, they could just be sourcing their seeds from the same places. I don't want to criticize the guy too much or wish him ill, but those prices are far more than I believe those plants are worth, and I highly doubt I will ever purchase anything from his store. That being said, and has been argued about in various threads before on this forum, if someone wants to charge those types of prices, and someone else wants to pay those types of prices, then that is really up to them.

Bump

I planted some fruit trees this spring and a week ago my nephew used the weed eater and got 2 of my 5 trees. What are the chances of their survival

Really, the question we should all be asking is, "What is your nephew's chances of survival?"

Tropical Forests and Their Crops has sold. Still two other great books for sale.

Weeding is not just for plants, it is also for libraries, and I am weeding out a few extra books from my fruit growing library.

USPS Media Mail shipping is included in the price for these books. I will consider shipping them internationally if there is no interest among any American buyers with the international shipping cost to be covered by the buyer. A couple of these books are of a reasonable weight and will not cost an exorbitant amount to ship internationally, but The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts is extremely heavy and shipping from the United States overseas would likely be prohibitively expensive. Its shipping is expensive enough within the United States.

I only accept PayPal.

These books will be securely packed and promptly shipped once payment is received with a tracking number provided after they are shipped.

I only have one copy of each of these books, so it is first come, first served.





The Encyclopedia of Fruit & Nuts was edited by Jules Janick and Robert E. Paull and published in 2008 by CABI (Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International). It is a hardcover, no dust jacket as issued, that measures 9x11.25 in. (226x284 mm.) with xviii+954 pages plus 20 pages of plates. The ISBN-13 number is 9780851996387. The text is in English, and it is a text-heavy book, illustrated by botanical line drawings and a color plate section of photographs. For whatever reason, CABI did not give this book a table of contents, but my photographs of various pages should give you an idea of the book's contents and how they are arranged.

Book description from the rear cover: “This major reference work provides comprehensive coverage of botanical and horticultural information on temperate, subtropical and tropical fruits and nuts of economic significance. Coverage is also given to palms, cacti and common fruit often thought of as vegetable crops. Containing almost 300 entries, topics covered include history and origins, ecology, breeding and genetics, distribution, uses and nutritional composition. Arranged alphabetically by family and species, each entry is followed by a selected bibliography to aid further reading on the topic. Entries are illustrated with figures, tables and graphs as well as colour photographs accompanying the major fruit crops. Drawing on the expertise of over 100 international specialists, this encyclopedia will be an invaluable and informative reference source for students and researchers in horticulture, pomology, botany and plant ecology.”

Condition: This book is in overall good condition. The hardcover boards have some corner bumping, particularly at the base of the spine, which has caused creasing and small surface tears, as well as there being a 1.25 in. (30 mm) long surface cut on the edge of the spine and rear cover, but the boards have no stains or other major damage. The binding is strong and intact. The interior is clean and unmarked with no writing, highlighting, or underlining and has no tears, dog-eared pages, stains, mold, or other major damage. The page edges have no remainder mark, foxing, stains, or any major damage.

The price for this book is $150.

My opinion: An excellent book. The reason I’m selling this copy is because I have another copy. Although somewhat geared towards agricultural professionals, it is not a difficult read, no different than Julia Morton’s Fruits of Warm Climates, which I would put it on par with as far as essential fruit books to own. The major fruits get more coverage, and you are not going to find any obscure Eugenias in it, but at nearly 1000 pages, there isn’t a more comprehensive fruit book that has ever been published. Its comprehensiveness is matched by its original price tag of $390, though CABI let it go out-of-print a few years ago, content to sell eBooks at an even higher price. Although this copy is not in perfect condition, it is still a great reference copy from a reliable seller at a price lower than other comparable copies.



Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics: An Inventory was written by Franklin W. Martin, Carl W. Campbell, and Ruth M. Rubertι and published in 1987 by the United States Department of Agriculture. It is Agriculture Handbook No. 642. It is a softcover that measures 8.5x10.875 in. (215x275 mm.) with 247 pages. No ISBN number. The text is in English, and it is a text-heavy book, illustrated by black-and-white photographs. Photographs of a few pages will give you an idea of the book's contents and how they are arranged.

Book description from the inside front cover: “The edible fruits of the Tropics are many in number, varied in form, and irregular in distribution. They can be categorized as major or minor. Only about 300 Tropical fruits can be considered great. These are outstanding in one or more of the following: Size, beauty, flavor, and nutritional value. In contrast are the more than 3,000 fruits that can be considered minor, limited severely by one or more defects, such as very small size, poor taste or appeal, limited adaptability, or limited distribution. The major fruits are not all well known. Some excellent fruits which rival the commercialized greatest are still relatively unknown in other parts of the Tropics and should be promoted. Introducing new fruits into a country is often difficult, however, and must be done legally. Obtaining information on the fruits and their sources is a first step, and this publication provides much of that information. This publication also lists minor fruits as completely as can be done with the present state of knowledge.”

Condition: This book is in good condition. “Weed Science Lab” is written on the front cover, but there are no other signs that this was a library book. The softcovers have the aforementioned writing, light soiling to the rear cover, a light cup ring to the front cover, and light edgewear, including very light creasing to the front cover along the spine and at the fore edge corners, but the softcovers have no tears or other major damage. The spine is not creased; the binding is strong and intact. The interior is clean and unmarked with no writing, highlighting, or underlining and has no tears, dog-eared pages, stains, mold, or any major damage. The page edges have no remainder mark, foxing, stains, or any major damage.

The price for this book is $45.

My opinion: Still a nice resource, despite it being an older book. A few names and taxonomic relationships have been changed over the years, but I was surprised how much is still unchanged today, at least 99%. The minor fruits get a short shrift, with those just getting a scientific name, common name, location, and use. The major fruits get terse but valuable descriptions. The value of this book is in browsing and discovering new plants to add to one’s collection, something I’ve done many times. I’m not adding much to my collection currently or for the foreseeable future, which is why I’m willing to let this book go. Although this copy is not in perfect condition, print copies of this title are very rare, and it is still a great reference copy from a reliable seller at a price lower than any other copy online.



Tropical Forests and Their Crops was written by Nigel J. H. Smith, J. T. Williams, Donald L. Plucknett, and Jennifer P. Talbot and published in 1992 by Comstock Publishing Associates, a division of Cornell University Press in Ithaca, New York. It is a hardcover that measures 6.5x9.625 in. (164x244 mm.) with xvi+568 pages. The ISBN-10/ISBN-13 numbers are 0801427711/9780801427718. The text is in English, and it is a text-heavy book, illustrated by black-and-white photographs. Photographs of the table of contents and a couple of pages will give you an idea of the book's contents and how they are arranged.

Book description: “The tropics are the source of many of our familiar fruits, vegetables, oils, and spice, as well as such commodities as rubber and wood. Moreover, other tropical fruits and vegetables are being introduced into our markets to offer variety to our diet. Now, as tropical forests are increasingly threatened, we face a double-fold crisis: not only the loss of the plants but also rich pools of potentially useful genes. Wild populations of crop plants harbor genes that can improve the productivity and disease resistance of cultivated crops, many of which are vital to developing economies and to global commerce. Eight chapters of this book are devoted to a variety of tropical crops―beverages, fruit, starch, oil, resins, fuelwood, fodder, spices, timber, and nuts―the history of their domestication, their uses today, and the known extent of their gene pools, both domesticated and wild. Drawing on broad research, the authors also consider conservation strategies such as parks and reserves, corporate holdings, gene banks and tissue culture collections, and debt-for-nature swaps. They stress the need for a sensitive balance between conservation and the economic well-being of local populations. If economic growth is part of the conservation effort, local populations and governments will be more strongly motivated to save their natural resources. Distinctly practical and soundly informative, this book provides insight into the overwhelming abundance of tropical forests, an unsettling sense of what we may lose if they are destroyed, and a deep appreciation for the delicate relationships between tropical forest plants and people around the world.”

Condition: This book is in good condition. Ex-library with some library markings: a spine label, library stamps on the top page edge, and library stamps and barcode remnants on the inside covers. The dust jacket is missing (though there seems to be some dispute whether this book originally had one). The hardcover boards have light rubbing at the corners but no tears, creases, stains, or any major damage. The binding is strong and intact. The interior is mostly clean and unmarked with no writing or highlighting but with some pencil underlining in the mango section (as well as the aforementioned library markings) and has no tears, dog-eared pages, stains, mold, or other major damage. The page edges have the aforementioned library stamps but no remainder mark, foxing, stains, or other major damage.

The price for this book is $15. SOLD

My opinion: A great look at the ecology and anthropology of tropical fruits. It is not a growing guide in any way, which is why I am willing to sell it. However, the very detailed chapters on cacao and avocado (nearly 70 pages combined on various aspects of history, breeding programs, uses, etc.) are worth the purchase price alone to those interested in those fruits. Many other major fruits are also discussed at length. Although this copy is not in perfect condition, it is still a great reference copy of an interesting out-of-print book from a reliable seller at an affordable price.

You might want to go ahead and bring in your Spanish lime, since, based on one of your other posts, it is struggling slightly already (as soapberries are wont to do). I can't definitively remember whether any of mine have been left out for nights in the 40s. Perhaps once or twice, but I want to get as much winter growth out of my plants as possible, so I try and move all my plants in before they get temperatures below 50. I don't always succeed, though.

If Malay apple is like rose apple, 40s should be fine. But, Syzygium is a huge genus, and one probably shouldn't place complete faith that because one plant in it is somewhat cold tolerant, they all share a similar level of cold tolerance.

Brian, I should have included some growing information. My best Spanish lime is in a mixture that is almost entirely compost. There is a little bit of potting soil mixed in with the compost. The other ones are in Miracle Gro. Those have not shown the decline and other health issues I've seen with rambutans and lychees in the same potting soil, but they are not growing very much. I just haven't had the time to repot them in a better mix. They are all in part sun, but they get full afternoon sun; trees shade them in the morning. I use Espoma Citrus-tone and Osmocote Smart-Release Plant Food Plus Outdoor & Indoor for fertilizer. I have started applying fish emulsion every couple of weeks as well to all my plants; I have yet to see any change with my Spanish limes, but I've only been doing it a couple of months. I water using rainwater whenever possible; my city water is quite hard since my area has a limestone, karst-type geology.

I use some of my family's heirloom-type houseplants as companion plants for my citrus trees, and it works excellently. A couple of years ago, I had a broken bit of one of my mom's houseplants, an old basket plant, which I put in one of my Moro blood oranges, on a lark, to see if it might root. Not only did it root, both it and the blood orange started growing by leaps and bounds. Within a few months, that blood orange went from being a bit small and sickly, to my largest, healthiest citrus. I have repeated the process with several of my other citrus trees, all with a great deal of success. I think it's because the biggest problem I have growing citrus is root disease from too much moisture. Having extra houseplants to soak up that moisture eliminates that problem.

That being said, I don't do this type of companion planting with anything other than citrus. None of the rest of the plants in my collection have the same type of issues that plague citrus. I think companion planting in those would do nothing but stunt their growth since my Plinias, Psidiums, Pouterias, etc are thirsty, nutrient-hungry plants.

My caveat to this thread is that all my plants are container plants, though the majority of the year, those plants (and their associated plant labels) are outside in the weather.

I use aluminum from drink cans for my plant labels. It is not so thick that it cannot be embossed into but is thick enough that it will withstand wear. I cut the top and bottom off the can, then unroll and flatten the side. I use an empty ballpoint pen (empty because I do not want ink getting all over the place) and place the aluminum on a surface with some give, not a hard surface. On my labels, I write the scientific name, common name or names, date I acquired the plant or seed, and who I acquired it from. I engrave this information lightly with my first pass, then do a second pass to engrave everything more forcefully. It takes a little bit of time and hand strength to do this, but not as much of either as you might think.

Here is what one of those labels looks like. Note that I cut off the corners to make them safer to handle.


I place them in my plants in a variety of ways. The most common and easiest is to use a thick piece of aluminum wire. I make a loop at the top for the label to go on and then stick it down into the pot. The wire needs to be long enough to anchor itself down in the pot and of a thick enough gauge not to bend too easily. I always use aluminum wire for my aluminum tags to prevent any galvanic corrosion, which would reduce the lifespan of the tags.


Sometimes, I make small cedar posts for the tags to go on. Cedar is very rot resistant, but it will rot eventually, so this is not the most permanent post material.


Other times, I use other forms of aluminum. This post was made out of an aluminum storm window.


This shows what my plant labels and posts look like after several years of use. This is one of the first of these I made, back in 2020. I was still figuring things out, so it is not the best label. Although I did not photograph the back of the label, after a couple of years, whatever drink advertising that is on the reverse will fade away in the sun and become pretty much unnoticeable.

I am selling off some of my extra plants. Some of these are relatively common plants, others are a little harder to find. With the exception of some Osmocote fertilizer, these plants have been grown organically. Some of the plants do not look perfect but all are healthy. Just about all these plants are root-bound and need to be up-potted, which you should do once they become acclimated to your growing area.

These plants have all been grown in a partly sunny location. They should be introduced to full sun conditions gradually to prevent any leaf burn or other damage.

These plants will be shipped using USPS Priority Mail with the shipping costs based on the size, weight, number of plants ordered, and buyer location. I will do what I can to save you money on shipping costs by making these plants as compact as possible for shipping without damaging them. They will not be shipped bare root; they will be shipped in their container with potting soil, as pictured. I do not ship internationally. Buyers in California, Arizona, and Hawaii purchase plants at your own risk; I am not responsible if they are confiscated.

Payment through PayPal.

Feel free to contact me with any questions you might have.

Scientific Name (Common Name) – Number of Seedlings Available – Seedling Size (Pot Height Not Included) – Seedling Age – Price Per Plant
Also included is where I purchased the seeds.


Eugenia uniflora var. Dasyblasta (Dasyblasta/Smooth Pitanga/Surinam Cherry) – 1 – 17” tall – 2 years – $35
Seeds purchased from a Tropical Fruit Forum member.


Myrciaria floribunda (Rumberry/Guavaberry) Group Pot – 5 plants in 1 pot – 2"-6" tall – Sold as a Group – $75
Myrciaria floribunda seeds are notorious for having a poor germination rate, something that has been discussed on this Forum by myself and others. When I purchased these seeds in late 2020, a few came up quickly that winter and a few more came up gradually in the spring and summer of 2021. Most of them, about a dozen seeds, did absolutely nothing, so I took them out of their seed starting tray and placed them in this group pot. I kept it watered but generally paid no attention to it. In the fall and winter of 2022, four seeds germinated, and at the end of April of this year, a fifth seed germinated. Over two years after first being planted! So, this pot contains those five plants plus all the other seeds I threw in there in 2021 (6 to 9 ungerminated seeds) which may or may not still be viable. It goes to show that you should never give up on Myrciaria floribunda seeds. I ended up with a decent germination rate after all; it just took over two years.


Myrciaria floribunda (Rumberry/Guavaberry) – 1 – 5” tall – 2 years – $22
Seeds purchased from a Tropical Fruit Forum member.


Myrciaria glazioviana (Yellow Jaboticaba) – 2 – 10-15” tall – 2 years – $30 for the 10" plant, $35 for the 15" plant
Seeds purchased from Farwell Fruit Farm.


Plinia rivularis (Guaporeti) – 2 1 – 7-10” tall – 2 years – $30
Purchased from a reputable eBay seller. Due to a lack of rain in my area, I had to water them with city water for a while. That caused the tip burn to the leaves. The new growth does not have that issue since I have been able to resume watering them with rainwater.


Psidium guineense (Brazilian Guava) – 1 – 20” tall (pruned down to that size) – 2 years – $40
Seeds purchased from Trade Winds Fruit.

The side of the road.

Particularly after spring planting, my neighborhood and the surrounding area has tons of pots out for streetside brush/bulk trash collection. They range from the cheapest, flimsiest plastic pots to some of the highest quality plastic pots you can get, as well as the occasional terra cotta or ceramic (I tend to get those at yard and estate sales). Most of these pots are relatively small, but I do tend to get two or three a year that are 30-40 gallons.

It looks like the tree is producing plenty of fruit, with plenty of seeds to propagate this rare plant. Hopefully, you and your friend can use all those seeds to turn those two trees into two hundred. Even if the fruit is not of the utmost quality from an edibility standpoint, this species still needs to be protected from extinction. Two known plants means it is potentially quite close to it already.

You need to peruse the website Tropical Fruit Hunters: https://www.tropicalfruithunters.com/. It chronicles the fruit hunting and tropical fruit growing activities of a Forum member named Jay Cotterman. Although Jay now lives in Thailand, he formerly lived in Columbus, Ohio, and his website is a wealth of information about the rewards and challenges of growing tropical fruits in temperate areas.

Good luck with your fruit growing, and welcome to the Forum.