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When growing any of the plants on this list keep in mind that many are still experimental and exact cultural practices have yet to be determined. Nothing on this list is foolproof, which is part of the adventure, but all have been successfully grown here. No guarantees!
The biggest challenge with many tropical
plants is the root rot disease that can occur during our cool wet winter
weather. Most tropical plants are evergreen and require healthy roots all year.
Roots require oxygen as well as water to remain healthy. Most organic
amendments consume oxygen as they decompose. Soils that are heavily amended
(mixed)with organic materials can easily become oxygen deficient when
waterlogged. We recommend that the soil be strictly mineral. Apply ample
organic mulch, but keep above the soil’s surface. Most tropicals can be planted using the technique
found on our ‘Avocado Planting Guide’.
Delicious fruit looks like an
alligator-strawberry cross and tastes like a mixture of pineapple, banana, and
papaya. Requires hand pollination (only one tree needed-see cherimoya
pollination handout) Average soil decent drainage. Can be grown as an espalier or
as a tree to 20 feet tall. Drops foliage in the spring, then blooms, and grows
leaves. Blooms continue until fall. All varieties of Cherimoya taste very good
to excellent. It is pointless to describe each variety
in detail because the characteristics of the fruit
vary greatly depending on the local climate.
Cherimoyas grow best within 15 miles if the S. Calif. Coast. Some of the
best-grafted varieties are described below:
El Bumpo Medium
to large fruit with bumpy edible skin of excellent quality. Few seeds. Ripens
winter to spring.
Honeyhart Medium size fruit with
smooth skin and excellent quality. Few seeds. Ripens late fall to spring.
Knight (Bays,
Ott) Medium to large fruit with
smooth skin and very good lemon flavor. Ripens winter. Spreading tree. Best
near coast.
Dark red 1-inch diameter fruit with
fragile skin, soft sweet juicy flesh with a sweet cherry flavor. Harvest
spring. Self-fertile but heavier crops when cross-pollinated. The handsome
evergreen shrub or small tree has excellent ornamental value. It has small glossy green leaves and
marble-like exfoliating bark with shades of green cream, tan and pink. Growth is slow to moderate to 10-15’
tall. Production starts when trees reach
6-8’ tall. Provide ample water and good
drainage. Hardy to
20ºF.
Grumichama,
Eugenia brasiliensis
The ¾” round, nearly black fruit taste
much like true cherries. Fruit ripens
early summer. The tree grows slowly,
eventually reaching 10’ or more in height and 6’ or more wide. The foliage and lush deep green. Plants take several years to start
production. Hardy to 20ºF.
Eugenia uniflora
These fruits resemble small pumpkins
and range in color form light orange to red and nearly black. Fruit size ranges from ½” to over 1”. Flavor ranges from sweet to acidic. There are usually 2 crops per year. This is a small tree or large bush to
10’+. It can be maintained as a hedge or
trimmed into an enchanting small tree with smooth marble-like bark. Hardy to 26ºF.
Includes
3 separate groups:
Easy to grow tasty fruit. The egg-shaped green fruit has a skin that is tough and tart, but the pulp and tiny seeds are delicious. Taste is like a mix of pineapple and banana. The plant is highly ornamental and can be grown as a 6-foot bush or as a small tree 10-20 feet tall. Hardy to 15 F. Provide sun, average soil and water. Somewhat drought tolerant when established. Attractive flower show late spring and early summer. The edible white petals are sweet and perfumy. Fruit ripens in the fall. The best quality of fruit requires milder coastal climate. For best production and fruit quality plant 2 or more varieties. Some of the best are:
Coolidge Large mildly flavored fruit
of good quality. Self-fertile.
Nazemetz Large
pear shaped fruit of excellent quality. Very sweet smooth pulp and a thin skin.
Self-fertile. BEST.
Easy to grow tasty fruit. Small 1-2 inch round fruit with small hard seeds. The flesh is sweet and flavorful. The highly ornamental plant can be grown as a bush or a small tree to 15 feet tall. Selective pruning can create an attractive dooryard specimen. There are several crops per year. Provide sun, average soil, ample water. Hardy to 20 F. There are 2 kinds:
Red Strawberry Guava 1-inch
fruit has red skin, a strong strawberry flavor and a small hard seeds. The
plant has dense glossy green foliage and has outstanding ornamental value.
Yellow Strawberry Guava
The 1 tp 2-inch
fruit has yellow skin, a milder sweet flavor and smaller softer seeds. The
plant has larger, coarser less glossy foliage.
Easy to grow tasty fruit. Prized by
many cultures but may be unappealing to the uninitiated. Fruit size ranges from
egg-size to apple-size. The skin is yellow when fully ripe and the flesh is
sweet and creamy with a musky aroma. There are usually many small hard seeds in
the central cavity. The plant is ornamental and semi-evergreen. Foliage drop
and stem dieback occur with hard frosts. Hardy to 26 F.
Many varieties are offered. Some varieties are grown from seed, some are propagated by grafting, and some are propagated by air-layering. Grafted and air-layered plants are more expensive to produce, but are more reliably true to type and produce at an earlier age. Seed grown plants are less expensive, but fruit size and quality are not assured.
Mexican Cream Small
fruit with creamy white flesh and a spicy flavor. Small tree.
Red Malaysian Reddish foliage and skin
color with pink flesh.
South African pink-fleshed
pear shaped fruit with excellent mild flavor. Can be eaten when crisp.
Tropic Pink Large
fruit with sweet pink flesh. From
Tropic White Medium
size rounded fruit with sweet white flesh. From
White Indian Very
large round fruit with crispy white flesh.
Very popular in Asia, the Mediterranean region, and
Big Jim Very
large fruit to 2 inches in diameter, with pale orange skin and flesh. Good
sweet flavor. Ripens late spring. Self-fertile. Vigorous upright tree may not
produce for several years.
Champagne Small
oval fruit with pale orange skin and lighter flesh with excellent strong
flavor. Ripens late winter-early spring. Best with pollinator.
McBeth Large fruit with orange skin and sweet orange flesh. Harvest spring. Self-fertile. Produces when young.
Lychee, Leechee, Litchi
Highly prized fruit from
Brewster Large fruit with red skin
and soft flesh with a large seed. Ripens early summer. Large upright tree.
Similar to lychee in fruit and in culture (see Lychee).
Tan or brown fruit 1 inch in diameter with sweet white flesh. Highly prized in
Kohala Medium to large fruit with
brownish skin. The flesh is aromatic and spicy with very good to excellent quality.
Small seed. The #1 commercial variety in
Very similar to culture and hardiness of the Avocado.
Very popular fruit in the world’s tropics and subtropics. In
Grafted mangos bear fruit within 2 years. Developing fruit should be pinched off young grafted mangos for several years to encourage greater growth. Seedling mangos will bear within 7-10 years. Fruit ripens summer-winter. There are almost countless varieties available and it will take us years to sort out which are the best for our area.
Carrie Medium size fruit with
greenish yellow skin. Flesh is very juicy, rich aromatic and fiberless. Excellent quality. Tree is
semi-dwarf.
Edward Very
large fruit with red blushed yellow skin. The firm flesh is juicy, rich,
tender, and fiberless. Excellent quality. Tree is semi-dwarf. Not a heavy
producer.
Glenn Medium to large fruit with
red blushed yellow skin. The flesh is firm, fiberless, rich, aromatic, and
spicy. Excellent quality. Strong flavor.
Haden The large fruit has scarlet
blushed apricot skin. The firm flesh is juicy and rich with fiber near the
seed. Very good to excellent quality.
Keitt Large fruit with pink blushed yellow skin and orange
flesh, small seed. Fiberless. Very good quality. Resistant to anthracnose.
Kent Large fruit with pink
blushed yellow skin and orange flesh. Fiberless. Excellent quality but late
ripening period may lead to fruit rot.
Manila Small fruit with yellow
skin. Fiberless with small seed. Susceptible to anthracnose. Bushy tree. This
variety is usually grown from seed and may require up to 5-8 years to bear
fruit.
Passionfruit has the distinctive tropical flavor found in “Hawaiian Punch”. The oval fruit is 2 inches in diameter with tough purple skin. The delicious yellow pulp surrounds small black seeds. This fast growing vine requires frost protection and good drainage. Avoid intense dry heat. High humidity helps production. Fruit ripens mostly fall-winter. On commercial farms the plants are usually replaced every few years. Plants are available in our vine section. Two genetically different plants of species P. edulis are required for pollination with a few exceptions.
Black Knight Highly fragrant, purple-black fruit as big as
a chicken egg with excellent flavor.
Compact self-fertile vine.
Nancy Garrison Egg size purple fruit.
Is very cold sensitive. It thrives in warm or hot weather in full sun. Fruit grown in the ground locally is usually small and tart. When grown in containers and given a bit of winter protection the fruit can reach commercial size. The plant is a bromeliad with spiny yucca-like leaves and grows about 3 feet tall and wide. Fruit develops within 2 years. Best when grown in black plastic containers with mostly volcanic rock or pumice with a bit of peat moss. Protect from frost by moving under house eaves during cold winter nights.
(Note: The name ‘Sapote’ is an ancient
Aztec word thought to mean ‘good fruit’. Some of the Sapote
fruits are not related to each other.)
A little known fruit that deserves much
more attention. Looks like a greenish yellow tomato with smooth, sweet
delicious flesh with a flavor reminiscent of peach or banana. There are usually
3-5 large seeds. The fruit is picked hard and ripened at room temperature. A
mature tree produces a huge crop (over 1000 pounds). The mostly evergreen tree
(defoliates briefly) has attractive green palmately divided leaves. It can grow
20-50 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide. Grafted plants don’t seem to grow with even
a fraction of the vigor of seedlings. Fallen fruit is also a consideration. Seedling plants will produce fruit within 5-8
years.
The brown, fuzzy fruit is round and variable in
size. The flesh is relatively firm and
there are 1-5 seeds. Very sweet with a chalky texture, in fact, the fresh fruit
reminds one of the sweet bean paste found in Japanese confections. The harvest
season is uncertain, but may be all year. The slow growing evergreen upright
tree grows 20-30 feet tall. Hard to 27 F. Fairly easy to grow. Native of
Oval 2-3 inches fruit with thin skin
and yellow-brown flesh that is soft, sweet, and delicious. Flavor is of pears
and brown sugar. 1-10 seeds. Eaten fresh. The slow growing evergreen tree grows
50-75 feet tall. Highly ornamental with waxy, light green folliage. It grows best on well-drained soil, but can
tolerate high salinity. Hardy to 27 F. native to
A tropical persimmon. The large shiny green fruit has
chocolate colored soft flesh with up to 10 bean size seeds in the central core.
Sweet. Eaten fresh or prepared. The fruit overwinters on the tree. The fast
growing evergreen tree grows 20 feet or more. Like plenty of moisture. Hardy to
28 F. there are many productive trees in
This unusual fruit looks like a golden cucumber and its cross section is a star shape. The fruit has tender skin and soft juicy flesh with a mild sweet flavor with a hint of astringency. Ripens winter. Eaten fresh or dried. The trees can grow 20 feet, but height is usually limited by wind damage. Provide good drainage and protection from cold winter winds and hot dry heat. In the ground Starfruit can succeed if grown under the house’s eaves on the south side. Normal winter temperatures will severely damage this tree.
Arkin large deeply fluted fruit with
golden skin and sweet juicy flesh with soft seeds. Ripens winter-spring.
Sri kembangan Very large fruit with bright golden skin and flesh.
Juicy, rich, and sweet with few seeds. Excellent quality.
This unusual fruit is best described as a pod filled with seedy grapes. The fat pods grow 1-2’ long and contain numerous large bean seeds, each surrounded by a grape-size segment of sweet, juicy flesh. The flavor is similar to Lychee. The pods ripen in mid fall. This evergreen tree is highly ornamental and grows quickly. The low branches spread to 20’ or more. The large leaves are divided into 6-8 large leaflets. In the tropics this tree has been used to provide light shade for coffee plants.
Is relatively easy to grow. Plants
should be located in filtered sun or partial sun. The soil should be moist with
good drainage. Mulch deeply to help prevent salt buildup. The evergreen plant
is an upright bush to 12 feet tall with very glossy deep green leaves. The
flowers and resulting berries (which contain 2 beans each) occur
all year. The beans are roasted before being ground and used to create the
stimulating beverage.
Tea
Is related to the ornamental camellias. The leaves are used to create tea. The plant grows as a dense rounded evergreen shrub to 15 feet tall with dark green leaves. Can be trimmed to a hedge. Relatively easy to grow if given partial to full sun (no reflected heat), rich soil, ample moisture, and decent drainage. Mulch deeply. The small white fragrant flowers bloom in fall.