New Fruit Report! Acca sellowiana, Syzygium paniculatum Citrus reticulataŚmedica

[elouicious]

Hey All-

I am running around a new landscape and finding new fruits to taste!

First up is Acca sellowiana- pineapple guava







I had very high expectations for this fruit, many people call it their favorite and I have seen many bushes around Houston, but never one that was holding fruit-

I bought some from the farmers market here because they were available before the few on the tree near me were ripe. I googled how to tell when they were ripe (I am a genius) and it said they should be soft not squishy- I tried to gauge this but ended up letting them get over-rpie and they were way too perfumey/soapy.

So I abandoned my google-fu and said- "They're guavas, they should be ripe when they smell good" and with a couple now falling off the tree near me I tasted these ones and they are quite amazing. Its a very unique flavor that is not exactly the combination of pineapple and guava. When I first started eating them I thought they were good but not that amazing but then I noticed that they had that lychee-esque quality where once I started eating them I just wanted to keep going- I wouldnt put these on the level of mangosteen, but they are really good, and I am going to plant some more at the property in Houston

Second is Syzygium paniculatum - Australian Brush Cherry



I was with some of my family when I found this tree who have increasingly little patience for me running around and examining random trees. As such I was only able to snap a quick picture of the tree here.

These are much better than the standard lilly pilly- Syzygium smithii- in that they have much more flesh and flavor. A nice crisp tasting fruit that is similar to a wax jambu although much smaller. A bit astringent of an aftertaste that left many in my family not liking them but I thought they were good.

Finally Citrus reticulata x medica - Rangpur lime





I saw these at the farmers market and curiosity got the better of me, I was fully expecting them to be green inside, and so when I peeled the skin I was absolutely sure that I had been bamboozled and sold a tangerine.

When I put a segment in my mouth I was quickly corrected- It tastes like a lime- intense citrus that is maybe a bit lighter than a regular one. I made an amazing salad dressing with it

[Painter]

Do the Lilly pillies do ok In Houston? 

I have a few but never have planted them in the ground, should I?

Btw, Saint Arnold’s brewery has a whole wall of pineapple guava, two weeks ago when I was there, there were hundreds to pick, some fairly large and tasty,  nobody knows what they are so easy to grab a bunch,  mine taste better, but the production at at Arnold’s is insane.

[elouicious]

Yes Painter!

nice!

I would put them in the ground as they will get bigger quicker and produce more fruit

[pagnr]

 Syzygium paniculatum - Australian Brush Cherry.  Juicing the fruit or freezing can increase the flavour. The fruit is fairly airy like a Rose Apple texture.
Syzygium ( Acmena) smithii . If you can find a large fruited fleshed variety they are a bit better than the regular thin fleshed type, but not a match for most Syzygiums.

Rangpur Lime

quote " When I put a segment in my mouth I was quickly corrected- It tastes like a lime- intense citrus that is maybe a bit lighter than a regular one.
I made an amazing salad dressing with it "

Can you please also post this in the Citrus General Discussion section, as some members over there are not yet convinced. I also like them as 'Limes' ie full size green skin.

[Pokeweed]

Elouicious! Send me a bunch of those seeds and I'll start a bunch of plants, then we can split them up or share with others. Pm me if you want to do that. Hope you are enjoying your adventure in Ca. D

[elouicious]

Do the Lilly pillies do ok In Houston? 

I have a few but never have planted them in the ground, should I?

Btw, Saint Arnold’s brewery has a whole wall of pineapple guava, two weeks ago when I was there, there were hundreds to pick, some fairly large and tasty,  nobody knows what they are so easy to grab a bunch,  mine taste better, but the production at at Arnold’s is insane.

Agree with pagnr abut the Lilly Pilly-

I have a Syzygium oleasum that is doing quite well in Houston, haven't tasted the fruit yet.

I would not recommend growing Syzygium smithii- the fruit is not good unless there are some newly selected cultivars I am not aware of-

I am going to make a new post about what I think is a paniculatum plant I found on the Stanford Campus

A seed pack is on the way Pokeweed!

I am sending you a message now

[CarolinaZone]

Ok, guys. Do any of you detect the taste of mint in your pineapple guavas. Mine produced this year and i have a few varieties. If it is a lie then One Green World told it bt they are all the varieties that ate sold on their site. Every last one I tasted had this funny mint flavor and  something herbal in the background.

[pagnr]

I have a Syzygium oleasum that is doing quite well in Houston, haven't tasted the fruit yet.

I would not recommend growing Syzygium smithii- the fruit is not good unless there are some newly selected cultivars I am not aware of-

I am going to make a new post about what I think is a paniculatum plant I found on the Stanford Campus

Syzygium smithii is a very variable species, and very widespread. There are ornamental selections. Very ornamental garden tree.
No fruit selections. I was lucky to find a spot where the population has puffy fruit. Not particularly great as a fruit, but pleasant enough for my tastes.
A bit like floury slightly sour apple.
Syzygium oleosum  fruit is fairly similar to paniculatum from memory, but it has been a while since I ate the fruit.
Paniculatum is a very common garden tree in Australia, but endangered in the wild, and only known from a limited natural area.
Looking forward to your post about Stanford Campus.

[tru]

Ok, guys. Do any of you detect the taste of mint in your pineapple guavas. Mine produced this year and i have a few varieties. If it is a lie then One Green World told it bt they are all the varieties that ate sold on their site. Every last one I tasted had this funny mint flavor and  something herbal in the background.

yes definitely, pretty big variance in general for how good they taste imo. Good varieties have a much cleaner flavor that as elou said, I just can't get enough of 

[nattyfroootz]

I have a Syzygium oleasum that is doing quite well in Houston, haven't tasted the fruit yet.

I would not recommend growing Syzygium smithii- the fruit is not good unless there are some newly selected cultivars I am not aware of-

I am going to make a new post about what I think is a paniculatum plant I found on the Stanford Campus

Syzygium smithii is a very variable species, and very widespread. There are ornamental selections. Very ornamental garden tree.
No fruit selections. I was lucky to find a spot where the population has puffy fruit. Not particularly great as a fruit, but pleasant enough for my tastes.
A bit like floury slightly sour apple.
Syzygium oleosum  fruit is fairly similar to paniculatum from memory, but it has been a while since I ate the fruit.
Paniculatum is a very common garden tree in Australia, but endangered in the wild, and only known from a limited natural area.
Looking forward to your post about Stanford Campus.

Where have you tried S. smithii? I grew up in the bay area and have seen a lot of the syzygiums in the area but always surprised to find some. The ones I've seen are at SF arboretum and UCSC arboretum. The ucsc arb has some s. smithii with good sized fruits.  I've found some really nice sized paniculatum in the menlo park/santa cruz area.  Fruits the size of a quarter and really deep pigment! 

[JCorte]

CarolinaZone, my trees had more of that minty, herbal taste when they were young, and I will sometimes get that flavor in the first early season or underripe fruits. 

There are a lot of seedlings sold for ornamental purposes that don't have good fruit, but if you have named varieties, I would give them more time to mature and produce better fruits.  When ripened properly they are really good, sweet, tart, and have a strong tropical flavor.  You can usually tell when you cut it open if it will be good.  The locules will be large, have more clear jelly, and color will be light yellow, and usually with a strong tropical fragrance with just a light subtle mint fragrance.

Janet

[elouicious]

I have a Syzygium oleasum that is doing quite well in Houston, haven't tasted the fruit yet.

I would not recommend growing Syzygium smithii- the fruit is not good unless there are some newly selected cultivars I am not aware of-

I am going to make a new post about what I think is a paniculatum plant I found on the Stanford Campus

Syzygium smithii is a very variable species, and very widespread. There are ornamental selections. Very ornamental garden tree.
No fruit selections. I was lucky to find a spot where the population has puffy fruit. Not particularly great as a fruit, but pleasant enough for my tastes.
A bit like floury slightly sour apple.
Syzygium oleosum  fruit is fairly similar to paniculatum from memory, but it has been a while since I ate the fruit.
Paniculatum is a very common garden tree in Australia, but endangered in the wild, and only known from a limited natural area.
Looking forward to your post about Stanford Campus.

Where have you tried S. smithii? I grew up in the bay area and have seen a lot of the syzygiums in the area but always surprised to find some. The ones I've seen are at SF arboretum and UCSC arboretum. The ucsc arb has some s. smithii with good sized fruits.  I've found some really nice sized paniculatum in the menlo park/santa cruz area.  Fruits the size of a quarter and really deep pigment!

SFBG for the S. Smithii

CarolinaZone, my trees had more of that minty, herbal taste when they were young, and I will sometimes get that flavor in the first early season or underripe fruits. 

There are a lot of seedlings sold for ornamental purposes that don't have good fruit, but if you have named varieties, I would give them more time to mature and produce better fruits.  When ripened properly they are really good, sweet, tart, and have a strong tropical flavor.  You can usually tell when you cut it open if it will be good.  The locules will be large, have more clear jelly, and color will be light yellow, and usually with a strong tropical fragrance with just a light subtle mint fragrance.

Janet

Great description

[pagnr]

Where have you tried S. smithii? I grew up in the bay area and have seen a lot of the syzygiums in the area

I should have mentioned I am in Australia, so have found them in various places, from in the wild, to in gardens or street trees.

[nattyfroootz]

Ohhh I see. Awesome. I'm big into collecting the Australian Syzygiums.  Got quite a few in the collection right now. Anything stand out to be a favorite for you?