The Tropical Fruit Forum

Added Passiflora seeds

people more seasoned than me-

How does Chamba stack up compared to some others? I have an opportunity to get a seedling and cuttings

hmm maybe you need 2

way to go brian!

another winner- btw what ever happened with those Uvaria chamae flowers?

What a peculiarity!

I can't comment as to improving your grafting technique but it would appear that there is "something in the air" that is causing problems

A few suggestions-

Have you ever tried to sanitize the area you are working in? (spray 70% ethanol in a room and it will very roughly sterilize the area for a bit
Do you sanitize the tree you are grafting ONTO in any way? (I suspect there may be pathogens on the bark of the recipient tree as well as the donor tree)

Thanks Jack!

Nice to know they do get bigger eventually, maybe I am not watering enough, but they have crazy long taproots and IMO when that happens its to access groundwater and plants need less frequent watering

Are megacarpa and echinocarpa the same species? I can find more info on megacarpa

Hey All,

Just wanted to share some experience growing Vasconcella x helbornii or the Babaco-

I've tried to grow this many times and just want to compare 2 vastly different growing conditions and why zone pushing can be wildly different even in two "zone 9" areas

Houston-

Cuttings were sourced from Bush2Beach, 3/3 Rooted- I gave 2 away to friends,

I planted the cutting I kept in a 3g fabric bag before moving to a 30-40g Ceramic pot, it grew and even produced a fruit for me but it was a constant battle to give it enough water and eventually it gave up the ghost with some weird beetles eating the tree from inside out

San Francisco-

This thing literally requires water once a week- is going like a champ, and looking like it will produce fruit soon- This is in a ~100g stone planter so hoping it will be productive and large for many years to come

Received the Pacouria Seeds today-

Platonia should be arriving shortly, most/all the Pacouria are germinated (Colombo is the man!) I am moving them to lightly moistened vermiculite for storage on the shipped ones

Look out for more PM's soon

another nice one Mikesid!

youve got me wondering what else you have near fruiting in the yard that most of us havent seen

they are dioecious like many Diospyros

why not just grow californica? I have heard they are quite similar

D. texana is good for eating but quite small

Hey All-

My life has finally gotten cleared up enough to do another seedling sale- If anyone wants to pick up semi-locally please let me know, you'll be given preference to listings here and I have some larger plants I can also sell that I'd rather not ship that I'm not Listing

$30 Minimum to Ship

Heres the short list of whats for sale- find descriptions and REPRESENTATIVE pictures after

Plants-

Euclea crispa - “Blue Guarri” - $20 each - 5x
Euclea racemosa - $15 each - 5x
Jaltomata cajacayensis - “Musho” - $25 each - 3x
Myrica rubra - “Yangmei” - Seedlings (Not Grafted) -
    Eastern Giant $70 - 1x
    Purple Pearl $60 each - 6x 5x
    Sweet Violet $60 each - 10x 8x
Physalis angulata - “Mullaca” - $15 each - 5x
Physalis pubescens - “Ground Cherry” - $15 each - 6x
Saurauia angustifolia - $20 each - 4x

Seeds-
Passiflora tripartata - 10 seeds $5
Passiflora sp. - 10 seeds $4

Euclea crispa - “Blue Guarri”
Euclea crispa can be an evergreen shrub or small bushy tree growing up to 8 metres tall with a bole 5 - 15cm in diameter. At times it can be a rhizomatous suffrutex or virgate shrub growing 30 - 300cm tall. The edible fruit and leaves are sometimes harvested from the wild for local use.
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required. Fruit - raw. Pleasantly sweet, they are chewed as a nibble. Leaves.
Text sourced from Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-08-06. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euclea%20crispa>

$20 each - 5x

Euclea racemosa
Euclea racemosa is an evergreen, densely branched plant that ranges in habit from a small shrub 1.8 - 2.7 metres tall, to a moderate-sized tree that can be 12 metres tall.
The tree is harvested from the wild for a range of local uses including food, medicine and timber. It is also grown as a hedge and planted in soil conservation and reforestation projects.
Edible fruit. The fruit is less than 1cm in diameter, it contains a single large seed surrounding a thin flesh. The roots are purgative.

Text sourced from Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2025-06-22. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Euclea+racemosa>

$15 each - 5x

Jaltomata cajacayensis - “Musho”
Native to the peruvian andes above the frost zone. This small but potently flavored berry is what i consider the best tasting of the jaltomata species ive tried. Cream and mandarins i would describe it. Small bush produces abundant crops of orange fruits. Plants perrenial to at least lower zone 9, possibly colder.

Text sourced from raindanceseeds.com

$25 each - 3x

Myrica rubra - “Yangmei”
Morella rubra is an evergreen shrub or tree growing up to 15 metres tall with a bole up to 60cm in diameter. The plant is commonly cultivated for its edible fruit in parts of Asia. It also has medicinal properties and is the source of a yellow dye.
Morella rubra is cultivated for its fruit from the warm temperate zone to the tropics. It is not very cold tolerant in cooler regions of the temperate zone, though it is said to succeed outdoors in the milder areas of Britain. Another report says that it only succeeds outdoors in zone 10 and does not tolerate frosts. Plants succeed outdoors in Japan as far north as Tokyo, but it is difficult to get them to fruit there.
Prefers a moist soil. Grows well in an open position in a well-drained soil in sun or light shade. Thrives in any ordinary garden soil. Prefers a lime-free loamy or peaty soil.
This plant has been recommended for improvement by selection and breeding for its edible fruit.
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.
Many species in this genus have a symbiotic relationship with certain soil micro-organisms, these form nodules on the roots of the plants and fix atmospheric nitrogen. Some of this nitrogen is utilized by the growing plant but some can also be used by other plants growing nearby.
Fruit - edible raw or cooked. Succulent and aromatic, it has an agreeable sub-acid taste. Juicy, sweetish and sour according to another report. The fruit soon rots so it is difficult to grow commercially because of the problems of getting it to market in good condition. The dark red to purple-red, globose fruit is around 10 - 15mm in diameter in the wild, but up to 30mm in cultivation. The seed is said to be edible. This report is likely to refer to the Coniferus species, Nageia nagi (Thunb.) Kuntze, which was originally wrongly assigned to this genus.

The stem and stem bark are used in the treatment of diarrhoea and gastroenteritis.
The stem bark is used as a wash in the treatment of arsenic poisoning, skin diseases, wounds and ulcers. The fruit is carminative, pectoral and stomachic. The seed is used in the treatment of sweaty feet. The plant is used in the treatment of cholera, heart ailments and stomach diseases.
The stems and stem bark contain various medicinally active compounds that have cytotoxic properties and are of potential use in the treatment of cancer. The plant has also been shown to have antioxidant and antiviral (against influenza) activity.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe. Barely cover the seed and keep it moist. Stored seed germinates more freely if given a 3 month cold stratification and then sown. Germination is usually good. Prick out the seedlings into individual pots when they are large enough to handle and plant them out when large enough. Cuttings of half-ripe wood, 5 - 8cm with a heel in a frame. Fair to good percentage. Cuttings of mature wood in a frame. Layering. Division of suckers. Plant them out direct into their permanent positions.
Text sourced from Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2025-06-22. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Morella+rubra&redir=Myrica+rubra>

These are named seedlings from the fruits I bought last year, they probably won't grow true to seed

Eastern Giant $70 - 1x

Purple Pearl $60 each - 6x

Sweet Violet $60 each - 10x


Physalis angulata - “Mullaca”
Edible fruit - raw or cooked. Juicy and sub-acid. The round fruit is green at maturity, around 10 - 15mm in diameter with numerous small seeds. The fruit is up to 30mm in diameter. The plant conveniently wraps up each fruit in its own 'paper bag' (botanically, the calyx) to protect it from pests and the elements. This calyx is toxic and should not be eaten.
The following reports about the fruit were listed under Physalis minima L., which is now considered to be a synonym of Physalis angulate.
Edible fruit - cooked. Tastes like a cherry tomato. Scarcely worthwhile. Juicy, mildly astringent and sweet with a pleasant blend of acid, the overall quality is good. The unripe fruit can be cooked as a vegetable. The fruit is about 1.5cm in diameter. It contains about 6% sugars, 2.7% protein, 1.2% ash, 0.6% tannin and 0.5% pectin. A good quantity of vitamin C. about 24.5mg per 100ml of juice. The fruit is formed and ripens consecutively over a long period. Average yields from a plant covering 2.5 square metres are about 545g.

Young leaves - raw or cooked as a potherb. A bitter flavour. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity. Some caution is advised, see the notes above on toxicity.

The plant is diuretic, expectorant, febrifuge. The leaves have been used to treat stomach disorders and Bright's Disease. The plant is used in the Pacific Islands to facilitate childbirth; to treat infertility in women and dengue fever. The root is febrifuge and vermifuge. An extract of the root is taken for fevers, whilst the root is chewed to act as a vermifuge. A decoction of the roots is drunk to treat hypertension and diabetes. The roots are chewed and applied as a poultice to the lower abdomen in order to reduce pain. The fruit is said to be alterative, analgesic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, appetizer, bitter, diuretic, laxative, sedative and tonic. (As Physalis minima) The seeds are cooked with Phyllanthus amarus seeds in a preparation given to women after childbirth.

The leaves are analgesic, diuretic, parasiticide and relaxant. They are eaten, or applied as an enema, in order to cure stomach-ache, colic, lithiasis and anuria. Added to palm wine, they are used to cure fever and to calm attacks of asthma, vomiting and diarrhoea. Sleeping sickness is treated with a mixture of the leaves combined with those of Anchomanes difformis.
The leaves are used externally to treat a wide range of skin ailments such as itch, smallpox pustules, whitlow lesions, infected scarification wounds and rheumatic pain, and to relieve muscular stiffness and pain. The pounded leaves are used as a remedy for headache and itches. The juice of the leaves, mixed with mustard oil and water, has been used as a remedy for earache. The leaves are also applied to Guinea worm sores, killing the worms and easing extraction. A lotion prepared from the leaves is applied to treat ophthalmia in children.

Text sourced from Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2025-06-22. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Physalis+angulata>


$15 each - 5x

Physalis pubescens - “Ground Cherry”
Fruit - raw or cooked in pies, preserves etc. A delicious bitter sweet flavour. The fruit falls from the plant before it is fully ripe and should be left for a week or two until the husk has dried and the fruit has turned a golden-yellow. Delightful when fully ripe. When dried in sugar, the fruit is excellent in fruit cakes, some cooks preferring them to raisins or figs. Yields up to 0.5 kilo per plant. The plant conveniently wraps up each fruit in its own 'paper bag' (botanically, the calyx) to protect it from pests and the elements. This calyx is toxic and should not be eaten. The fruit will store for several weeks if left in the calyx. The fruit is a berry about 15mm in diameter.

Text sourced from Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2025-06-22. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Physalis%20pubescens>


$15 each - 6x

Saurauia angustifolia
A Saurauia, native to southern Mexico and parts of Central America. Similar to S. madrensis, it bears small, light green fruits, with sticky, sweet smelling, translucent pulp. Little information exists about this species, but it appears frost hardy to several degrees below freezing. Does well in cooler, subtropical zones. Medium to large sized tree featuring long, ornate leaves with red veins.
Text sourced from tradewindsfruit.com

I have eaten these fruits and they are quite good- like grape sized gelatinous Kiwi

$20 each - 4x

people are often shocked when i share that food can be sold as organic when treated with chemical fertiizers as long as they have a soil test that shows deficiency-

you are right- elements are well..... elemental-

the sunflower could be grown somewhere with potassium, chopped, and dropped on the deficient land but some would say that is buying fertilizer with extra steps