First Fruiting of Cherapu (Button Mangosteen) Garcinia prainiana

[fruitlovers]

Ate my first cherapu off my trees today. I hand pollinated this fruit way back on November 21. So fruits are very slow to form. Here are some photos of the flowers and fruits starting to form in a past thread: http://tropicalfruitforum.com/index.php?topic=13311.msg178386#msg178386
Was surprisingly good tasting though i had to pick the fruit before it fully turned orange, still taste was very nice, kind of like mangosteen with some tangerine zing mixed in. Got to compare it with regular mangosteen as i found a stray fruit on one of the trees. Here are some comparison photos:



You can see here why it may be called Button mangosteen, as the bottom has button like appearance.

[TropicalFruitHunters]

Nice.  Once you get down into the flesh, ratio looks pretty close.  How about flesh to seed?  Can you eat the skin?  Thanks for sharing.

[fruitlovers]

Nice.  Once you get down into the flesh, ratio looks pretty close.  How about flesh to seed?  Can you eat the skin?  Thanks for sharing.

Yes the edible amount is similar to regular mangosteen just because the skin on the cherapu is so much thinner. There were 6 seeds inside the cherapu and only 2 in the mangosteen. I didn't try to eat the skin. I think the skin is extremely bitter, just like with mangosteen, due to xanthones.

[cbss_daviefl]

Congrats!  Looks really tasty

I have been after this species for years with no luck.  I have had a few seeds germinate and then die back before leaves form.  I still have around 30 pots with seeds that have not germinated, some from July and some from October, that I pick weeds from, still hoping they will do something.

[stuartdaly88]

Really nice looking!
Iv Read good things about this fruit, always nice to have somethings tasteyness confirmed!
Great pics thanks for them:)

[Tropicaliste]

Wow, I didn't know the fruit was so "big". I assumed because the "Button" that it was small. Shame my two seedlings don't look so good.

[Coconut]

Fantastic Oscar  a Tangerine Mangosteen who knew! Tangerine is a pain with all the thrip problem here in Florida without imachlorid.  How productive is this Button Mangosteen compare to your purple Mangosteen Oscar? How long from seed did it take to fruit and did you find this species less or more difficult in soil & temperature requirments?  You mention hand pollination so that is their only glitch? Will Oscar button mangosteem seeds available?😃

[FlyingFoxFruits]

congrats Oscar!

i'm happy to see a source for these seeds in the USA....so I don't have to deal with DAMN PERMITS and USDA!

lol..it won't be long before we need a permit to get seeds from HI...

[Chandramohan]

Nice Fruit Oscar. Do you have seeds to sell? Chandramohan.

[palologrower]

my seeds are only starting to push out leaves now.  six months from putting in potting mix.  maybe I can share a similar post of my first fruit in 2030 or something. ha.

[luc]

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

[fruitlovers]

Wow, I didn't know the fruit was so "big". I assumed because the "Button" that it was small. Shame my two seedlings don't look so good.

I think that cherapu fruit was smaller than normal, being first fruit and a bit of a runt. Also that mangosteen was rather large one, so not fair comparison.

[fruitlovers]

Fantastic Oscar  a Tangerine Mangosteen who knew! Tangerine is a pain with all the thrip problem here in Florida without imachlorid.  How productive is this Button Mangosteen compare to your purple Mangosteen Oscar? How long from seed did it take to fruit and did you find this species less or more difficult in soil & temperature requirments?  You mention hand pollination so that is their only glitch? Will Oscar button mangosteem seeds available?😃

Hard to say how long to fruit because they flowered a couple of years already but i didn't have right male/female timing to hand pollinate them before. I don't know about production yet. The cherapu seems a bit slower in growth than mangosteen, but can't say for sure. PM'ed you about the seeds.

[fruitlovers]

congrats Oscar!

i'm happy to see a source for these seeds in the USA....so I don't have to deal with DAMN PERMITS and USDA!

lol..it won't be long before we need a permit to get seeds from HI...

Right now i only have a grand total of 4 cherapu fruits, that is all i got to pollinate, so not exactly ready to offer seeds. Good news is that almost all the trees are flowering again. So maybe in about a year i can start listing them for sale?
You're probably right about needing a permit for everything you do in future. I'm quite concerned that the USDA will come out with a white list of species allowed for sale. They already tried to do that once but it didn't pass. Trade will definitely get more difficult, not easier. So "get em while you can" is my motto.

[fruitlovers]

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

On the contrary Luc, very good questions. Unfortunately i don't have very good answers...yet. Not all the trees have flowered yet. It seems that there is a high percentage of females. I have 9 trees and i think at least 5 are female. Strangely enough in this species all the female trees flower first. Yes i started from seeds. Don't know about differences in vigor or leaf shape between the sexes. Haven't paid much attention to that yet. Usually i'm overwhelmed just trying to keep the place mowed and weeded.

[Tropicaliste]

What I mean is, that's way bigger than than the fruit in the pics I've seen. I naturally thought they were small having no measure to compare it too, calling it button mangosteen influenced my thinking. Now I know from your comparison that it's bigger ... good stuff.

Wish my seedlings were better because the new comparison makes me really want to try the fruit.

I agree about the restrictions. I'm going to order some trees from a seller there before it becomes illegal. I'm fearful that could happen and going to be kicking myself if I wait.

[RICBITAR]

Oscar

Very nice !
I want buy some seeds
Thanks
Best regards
Ric

[palologrower]

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

On the contrary Luc, very good questions. Unfortunately i don't have very good answers...yet. Not all the trees have flowered yet. It seems that there is a high percentage of females. I have 9 trees and i think at least 5 are female. Strangely enough in this species all the female trees flower first. Yes i started from seeds. Don't know about differences in vigor or leaf shape between the sexes. Haven't paid much attention to that yet. Usually i'm overwhelmed just trying to keep the place mowed and weeded.

man if I lived big island, I'd intern at your place.  but my wife would get mad and tell me, 'how come you go his place mow lawn and no do ours?!?!?!!'  oh well.   

[fruitlovers]

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

On the contrary Luc, very good questions. Unfortunately i don't have very good answers...yet. Not all the trees have flowered yet. It seems that there is a high percentage of females. I have 9 trees and i think at least 5 are female. Strangely enough in this species all the female trees flower first. Yes i started from seeds. Don't know about differences in vigor or leaf shape between the sexes. Haven't paid much attention to that yet. Usually i'm overwhelmed just trying to keep the place mowed and weeded.

man if I lived big island, I'd intern at your place.  but my wife would get mad and tell me, 'how come you go his place mow lawn and no do ours?!?!?!!'  oh well.   

Yes you're welcome to mow here anytime. But i think you're going to find it ain't no "lawn". A bit bigger and taller than any lawn you've ever seen.

[micah]

aloha
our cherapu are flowering heavy now.  loaded with candy scented blossoms.
Luc we have four one male and three female. for me... the male is bigger than the females...just like ganja plants. don't know if its a coincidence, but that male is taller more vigorous.

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

On the contrary Luc, very good questions. Unfortunately i don't have very good answers...yet. Not all the trees have flowered yet. It seems that there is a high percentage of females. I have 9 trees and i think at least 5 are female. Strangely enough in this species all the female trees flower first. Yes i started from seeds. Don't know about differences in vigor or leaf shape between the sexes. Haven't paid much attention to that yet. Usually i'm overwhelmed just trying to keep the place mowed and weeded.

man if I lived big island, I'd intern at your place.  but my wife would get mad and tell me, 'how come you go his place mow lawn and no do ours?!?!?!!'  oh well.   

Yes you're welcome to mow here anytime. But i think you're going to find it ain't no "lawn". A bit bigger and taller than any lawn you've ever seen.

[palologrower]

Oscar these may be stupid questions but here they are anyway :

When you planted your trees what percentage males to females did you end up with ? I assume you started from seeds ?
Is it possible that there is even a slight difference in the leaves between the 2 and could males be more vigorous than females ?

I have 7 that are doing very well and need to go in the ground when the rainy season starts .

On the contrary Luc, very good questions. Unfortunately i don't have very good answers...yet. Not all the trees have flowered yet. It seems that there is a high percentage of females. I have 9 trees and i think at least 5 are female. Strangely enough in this species all the female trees flower first. Yes i started from seeds. Don't know about differences in vigor or leaf shape between the sexes. Haven't paid much attention to that yet. Usually i'm overwhelmed just trying to keep the place mowed and weeded.

man if I lived big island, I'd intern at your place.  but my wife would get mad and tell me, 'how come you go his place mow lawn and no do ours?!?!?!!'  oh well.   

Yes you're welcome to mow here anytime. But i think you're going to find it ain't no "lawn". A bit bigger and taller than any lawn you've ever seen.

Ha.  If I can get comped a mango here and a marang there my wife may put up with my "volunteer " work!   

[Kona fruit farm]

Oscar this is awesome.  Makes me excited for my 3 trees.  I just checked on them yesterday and one is finally starting to push out new growth.   It's been planted in the ground for probably 3 months.   Yes these plants ARe slow!  Can't wait for fruit one day. 

[fruitlovers]

Kona, i see you're using the wire cages with shadecloth. That's very good. They like that. Make sure to keep them constantly fed. Using slow release fertilizer or compost is very good. That will make them grow and fruit a lot faster. Foliar feeding every couple of months is also great for them to get the minor nutrients. Maxicrop is good or similar product.