Fruit tree identification

[Bob407]

I was given a fruit at the Fruit and Spice park to taste and after eating it I kept the seeds to plant (of course!) I planted them and now have a healthy plant, but do not have the slightest clue what it is. The fruit was the size lf a grape and and the color was between red and purple. And yes I did call the park and ask but to no avail.

[Mike T]

Governor's Plum looks a bit like that and I suppose Indian Jujubes do a little.

[jez251]

Hi Bob,

I believe that's a Rukam (Flacourtia rukam).

I have a small seedling.

Jaime

[Bob407]

[Bob407]

Hi Bob,

I believe that's a Rukam (Flacourtia rukam).

I have a small seedling.

Jaime

   I think you nailed it! I googled pics for rukam and that looks like the fruit I ate, thank you.

[Bob407]

 This is great! Ok lets try another fruit tree that I have. I found this tree growing behind an old hotel from the 1960's or 70's on Islamorada key and it had small red fruits about a half inch round with yellow pulp inside and tiny seeds mixed in with the pulp. Once again I have no idea what it is.

[bsbullie]

This is great! Ok lets try another fruit tree that I have. I found this tree growing behind an old hotel from the 1960's or 70's on Islamorada key and it had small red fruits about a half inch round with yellow pulp inside and tiny seeds mixed in with the pulp. Once again I have no idea what it is.

OMG...please tell me you did not eat it...

[Bob407]

I just went outside and took better pics.

[Bob407]

This is great! Ok lets try another fruit tree that I have. I found this tree growing behind an old hotel from the 1960's or 70's on Islamorada key and it had small red fruits about a half inch round with yellow pulp inside and tiny seeds mixed in with the pulp. Once again I have no idea what it is.

OMG...please tell me you did not eat it...

Of course not! I'm not a complete idiot. I let some kids in the parking lot try it. So do you know what it could be?

[bsbullie]

This is great! Ok lets try another fruit tree that I have. I found this tree growing behind an old hotel from the 1960's or 70's on Islamorada key and it had small red fruits about a half inch round with yellow pulp inside and tiny seeds mixed in with the pulp. Once again I have no idea what it is.

OMG...please tell me you did not eat it...

Of course not! I'm not a complete idiot. I let some kids in the parking lot try it. So do you know what it could be?

I was just messing with you...then again, if you did eat it, how has your memory been since??  Again, just kidding 

Don't know what it is from the picture.  How large (height, trunk, etc.) was the tree in Islamorada?  What time of the year did you see it fruiting?

[Bob407]

This is great! Ok lets try another fruit tree that I have. I found this tree growing behind an old hotel from the 1960's or 70's on Islamorada key and it had small red fruits about a half inch round with yellow pulp inside and tiny seeds mixed in with the pulp. Once again I have no idea what it is.

OMG...please tell me you did not eat it...

Of course not! I'm not a complete idiot. I let some kids in the parking lot try it. So do you know what it could be?

I was just messing with you...then again, if you did eat it, how has your memory been since??  Again, just kidding 

Don't know what it is from the picture.  How large (height, trunk, etc.) was the tree in Islamorada?  What time of the year did you see it fruiting? The tree was about 35' tall and about 25' wide. I don't remember the trunk size , the branches started about 10' off the ground.  I believe it was May/June (the start of the dolphin fishing season).

[Felipe]

Looks like some Ficus sp...

[monkeyfish]

My two cents - this looks very much like Dovyalis abyssinica or Dovyalis abyssinica x hebecarpa.  Check it out before closing the case?

[Bob407]

Thank you all for your responses. At least now I have it narrowed down to a few options, at this point only time and fruit will tell.

[Tropicdude]

looks just like the CEYLON GOOSEBERRY  I have.  ( 1st plant ).

Amazing how similar all the plants suggested look.

Second plant, I would like to know what that is also, I had one grow out of a pot with left over soil from one of the trees I transported. it didn't look like a weed, so I left it growing there with hopes of identifying it later. I forgot to take a picture of it when I was in Fla. 

[monkeyfish]

I neglected to mention that my previous comment was in reference to the first picture, and after clicking the pic and looking at the larger version I'm fairly certain that my identification was correct.  Dovyalis abyssinica x hebecarpa = tropical apricot which I have growing & Dovyalis abyssinica = ceylon gooseberry which I do not have, so not sure how to differentiate between those two.  As to the second plant, it reminds me of an unknown garcinia I had planted which frosted to death soon after.  I know that doesn't help much since there are so many species of garcinia.

One good thing to know about the dovyalis, the seedlings start out being very thorny, but become less so as they grow, eventually becoming mostly devoid of thorns, thankfully, as they are damn treacherous.

[Tropicdude]

I neglected to mention that my previous comment was in reference to the first picture, and after clicking the pic and looking at the larger version I'm fairly certain that my identification was correct.  Dovyalis abyssinica x hebecarpa = tropical apricot which I have growing & Dovyalis abyssinica = ceylon gooseberry which I do not have, so not sure how to differentiate between those two.  As to the second plant, it reminds me of an unknown garcinia I had planted which frosted to death soon after.  I know that doesn't help much since there are so many species of garcinia.

One good thing to know about the dovyalis, the seedlings start out being very thorny, but become less so as they grow, eventually becoming mostly devoid of thorns, thankfully, as they are damn treacherous.

yeah, my small plant have those nasty thorns, but pictures of mature trees do not seem to have them, I noticed this with a seedling jujube, compared to a grafted one. the seedling had thorns.

[Bob407]

I neglected to mention that my previous comment was in reference to the first picture, and after clicking the pic and looking at the larger version I'm fairly certain that my identification was correct.  Dovyalis abyssinica x hebecarpa = tropical apricot which I have growing & Dovyalis abyssinica = ceylon gooseberry which I do not have, so not sure how to differentiate between those two.  As to the second plant, it reminds me of an unknown garcinia I had planted which frosted to death soon after.  I know that doesn't help much since there are so many species of garcinia.

One good thing to know about the dovyalis, the seedlings start out being very thorny, but become less so as they grow, eventually becoming mostly devoid of thorns, thankfully, as they are damn treacherous.

yeah, my small plant have those nasty thorns, but pictures of mature trees do not seem to have them, I noticed this with a seedling jujube, compared to a grafted one. the seedling had thorns.

I have two ziziphus ziziphus that I started from seeds(tradewindsfruit) and they are quite thorny.

[Bob407]

I found this pic online. Ketembilla x abyssinian gooseberry

[digigarden]

looks just like dovyalis hebecarpa or abyssinica like said above... surely that or a flacourtia.

[Mike T]

monkeyfish I have a few newly sprouted seedlings of Dovyalis x (tropical apricot) and was wondering if the trees are bisex and if seedlings have good quality fruit.Do you know?

[digigarden]

not moneykeyfish but yeah dovyalis spp are dioecious=male or female flowers in separate plants.

i have hebecarpa,caffra and others sold as hebecarpa that i'm not really sure of until they fruit...i would keep like 4 until they fruit.

[Mike T]

Thanks for the info digi. I have seen conflicting views about whether Dovyalis x has seperate sexes and is diferent from the rest.

[monkeyfish]

Well here we go with another controversy. When I bought my dovy I was told that it was monoecious, so only the one plant was required to get fruit.  I've had it for years and years, and it usually has fruit on it.  Unless there is another plant in the vicinity, which I kind of doubt, then the guy I bought it from was correct.

So I just went outside to take a gander at it, and it has a few red fruits, many green ones, and tons of flowers.  It does tend to be more prolific in spring. Well I'm no botanist, but I seem to recall that some plants have only male or female flowers, some have both on the same plant, and some have 'perfect' flowers which have both male and female parts in one flower.  Well this appears to have two different flowers one the one plant.  Unfortunately a nice microscope or a super-duper camera are not among my possessions, but I can take some pics with the camera I do have, and maybe there will be sufficient resolution to shed some light on the subject. While I'm at it I'll get a couple of the plant itself to boot.  Unfortunately its about sundown now, and overcast and drizzley out, so maybe tomorrow conditions will be adequate. Stay tuned...

[digigarden]

well dioecious species can give you a male,female or hermaphrodite plant.

so for instance i keep 4 kei apples,4 ceylon and 2 i think are tropical apricot...then i have 5 pulasan, 5 mammea,4 quenepas,5 talisia and 5 asian persimmons.

when they fruit i will cut down excess males...the dovyalis can be kept small or in containers so not really a problem to keep 4.