The Tropical Fruit Forum

Very interesting, everyone. Thanks for the information. I have not been able to find it yet but I am interested in S. wallichiana due to its potential to handle Florida winter better than some of the other varieties. I know I would need male and female plant for wallichiana. Cool that some of the species can cross! Hoping my red Bali salak continues to do well in Florida. We have a very healthy insect pollinator population so I am hoping one day to get fruit!

guaycuyacu- how were you able to tell that the two species cross pollinated?

I have a starfruit tree and the fruits are much sweeter than you get at the store because you can ripen them on the tree. This does not work well for stores because the fruit bruise easily when they are ripe and this would happen in transit. Same with dragonfruit... Bland at the store but sweet when vine ripened in my backyard.

Starfruit trees grow fast! Out of all our fruit trees it was fastest growing and quickest to fruit. It makes more and more fruit each year. Now we can't give away enough or eat them fast enough. Finally picked the last one and the tree is full or flowers again! So it can fruit more than once per year.

They are sweet to eat fresh. Also can be put fresh or frozen into smoothies as a base and mix well with any other type of fruit. Any bruised or excess fruit I slice and remove seeds and put in gallon baggy in freezer. Unripe or ripe fruit can be cut into slices and added as you cook up fajitas. My mom made several batches of starfruit jam which tastes like a cross between apple and strawberry and was a reddish brown color. Starfruit makes a fruit salad look pretty with stars.

I have had no pests or disease bother this tree. Low maintenance. No worms in the fruit (like my papaya and loquat problems). Handles low temps fine once established in Florida zone 9b.

As for the oxalates, what you hear about kidney problems from starfruit usually refers to people currently with chronic kidney disease. As a dieititian, I tell my kidney patients to avoid this fruit. I can tell you from experience we eat lots of starfruit in our family and this should not affect healthy individuals.

I would gladly buy a cupuacu plant but I haven't found a source for them yet. I see from the link provided that he sells seedlings and small plants. Even better!

Hello, I am in the U.S. (Florida) and would like to try growing Cupuacu. If you have seeds you can sell or trade, let me know.