Share Your Tropical Fruit Trees

[palmsOrl]

I have a few tropical fruit trees in my container ranch.

These three small quenepa (otherwise known as the Spanish Lime) trees are planted in a rough triangle about 12 feet apart in my grandma's backyard.  The quenepa is my cousin's favorite fruit so he had purchased the largest tree pictured in the first photo about six years ago as a grafted plant so it would produce fruit on one plant.  Since he was keeping it potted in Virginia where he lives, it struggled being inside much of the year and as a result it died back to below the graft. 

So this potted tree was brought to Florida and is in the ground and healthy to this day.  But since there is no way to tell male and female plants apart without flowers, we ended up acquiring two more plants in hopes that there is at least on male and one female between the three plants.

I planted them in the ground last summer, and they have put on a bit of growth, but would no doubt be faster with irrigation and fertilizer (I did put down some fertilizer once).

The quenepa is a tropical species and sensitive to freezing temperatures and I get the impression based on online research that it is similar to a mango in cold sensitivity and there are many thriving mango trees nowadays in the heat island of the Orlando area so I think these will do well here, save for getting some freeze damage on occasion.

Please share your tropical fruit trees with the rest of Palmtalk!

[palmsOrl]

Here is my miracle fruit tree (Synsepalum dulcificum), a tropical fruit tree species with the unique quality of making subsequently eaten food taste sweet after eating the so-called miracle fruit.

My small tree might be destined for bonsai training.  I have not yet decided.

[palmsOrl]

Here is my little blood banana (Musa sumatrana is what it was labelled as when I purchased the plant).  I always have loved the red coloration in this species.

[palmsOrl]

Of course, my favorite tropical fruit tree (technically a grass, not a tree I know), Cocos nucifera!  The first photo is from this afternoon of three of my four larger palms.

[palmsOrl]

Here is my little jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus).  I sprouted them from seed I collected last summer from an Asian food dish and there were originally 4 healthy 12" trees in the same pot as of last fall.  Between the winter chill and drying out in the pots, only one just barely survived and resprouted near the bottom of the stem.

[palmsOrl]

Both my guava (first photo) and my mango tree (second photo) have experienced severe transplant shock (I'm not sure why), but I expect them to flush out with new leaves and both survive since the stems of both are still plump and green.

I wish I would have taken the photos a week ago!

[palmsOrl]

In the below photo is my Kaffir (note, "Kaffir" is very pejorative in some countries) lime (Citrus hystrix).  The leaves of this species are used to season Thai cuisine and I assume the limes are edible too, though my tree has never flowered.  This small specimen is from seed sprouted in 2014.

As you can see, this plant has also experienced some recent trauma, but in this case the trauma is due to overfertilizing.  Obviously, it will recover.

I have thusly learned to be much more careful coaxing the root ball out of the pot and separating the substrate from the roots when repotting.  I have also learned to never go cheap on the fertilizer with any of my potted plants (which is all of them currently).

[JLM]

I have a Citrus reticulata (Dancy Tangerine). I cannot get any pics at the moment. Although it only has 7 tangerines this year that i can see, more to come most likely. Last years harvest contained 22.

[Silas_Sancona]

Whats left of my own edible collection:

Last two of the Jaboticabas i'd had:

Myrciaria vexator, Blue Jaboticaba.. Starting to look worn out in the heat but has survived outdoors all year here, if kept in shade..





Myrciaria aureana, White Jaboticaba.. Believe it or not this is the best it has looked since moving here.. Hates sun, and our hard water. Cowered in a corner of the shadehouse until i moved it under the patio in my former "Shade Alley " ( Taken down recently in preparation for the move ahead ) Of all the Jaboticaba i had, this was the LAST sp. i'd have anticipated surviving here this long.





Cyrtocarpa edulis, Baja/ Desert Plum / Ciruleo..  3 great attributes in this relatively uncommon Baja member of the Anacardiaceae:  Caudex forming small to medium sized tree, Loves heat, doesn't need much water ( mainly in Summer ) and produces edible fruit said to taste like Popcorn.. Mine have another two or 3 years before i'd anticipate fruit but already a good looking tree.. Kind of thin atm, but grow into spectacular specimens as they get larger..  Couple other species in the Genus i'd like to find / trial. Not sure if the fruit on them is Edible though..




Not pictured:
Eugenia uniflora "Chumba"

Eugenia uniflora " Supposedly FL. Black" ...Neither Suriname flower here so we'll see whether or not this is the "true" Sweeter, "Black fruited" Suriname Cherry.

Garcinia vleerackeii, Luc's Mexican Garcinia / Mangosteen..  Still small but growing steadily under Mesquite canopy. Only pushes new growth towards the end of Monsoon season in late summer/ fall here. Next year, it will be separated from the Leucanea retusa growing in the same pot.  Based on what i have heard from others growing it in Southern California, should see better growth there.

[rprimbs]

We have many fruit trees.  But I'm not sure if any really qualify as 'tropical' -- other than our little mangosteens, and coconuts.  

Here are pictures of our "Alano" sapodilla, our "Golden Nugget" jackfruit (behind my son), our coconut, our jaboticaba (behind my son), our pitiful neglected under-watered purple star apple, and our ice cream bean tree.

[Silas_Sancona]

1 hour ago, rprimbs said:

We have many fruit trees.  But I'm not sure if any really qualify as 'tropical' -- other than our little mangosteens, and coconuts.  

Here are pictures of our "Alano" sapodilla, our "Golden Nugget" jackfruit (behind my son), our coconut, our jaboticaba (behind my son), our pitiful neglected under-watered purple star apple, and our ice cream bean tree.

Nice collection.. You trying Purple Mangosteen again? 

[rprimbs]

4 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Nice collection.. You trying Purple Mangosteen again? 

My Garcinia's are kind of pitiful.  I just have some little seedlings and I accidentally scorched them by leaving them out in the full sun. 

My old mangosteen was about a meter tall, but I forgot about it, and my durians, when I took a trip to Vietnam one winter.  They died...

Here's a picture of the scorched Garcinia's.  Maybe I will buy a decent sized plant online.  

A better plant to grow here seems to be my pitangatuba below.  Behind the pitangatuba is a 'Chilean guava' which people have told me is 'the bomb!'.  It is definitely extremely easy to grow.

 

[Silas_Sancona]

2 minutes ago, rprimbs said:

My Garcinia's are kind of pitiful.  I just have some little seedlings and I accidentally scorched them by leaving them out in the full sun. 

My old mangosteen was about a meter tall, but I forgot about it, and my durians, when I took a trip to Vietnam one winter.  They died...

Here's a picture of the scorched Garcinia's.  Maybe I will buy a decent sized plant online.  

A better plant to grow here seems to be my pitangatuba below.  Behind the pitangatuba is a 'Chilean guava' which people have told me is 'the bomb!'.  It is definitely extremely easy to grow.

 

Have heard lots of good things about Chilean Guava.. On my list for sure..  Nice looking plant even w/ out any fruit on it.

[rprimbs]

Here is a very pitiful "Ross sapote".  It is getting eaten by snails, and is hardly growing.  It seems to be a bit cold sensitive.

I am going to try more water, more fertilizer, and at least a frost blanket during the winter.

[rprimbs]

Sorry here is the picture

[palmsOrl]

My avacado actually died of transplant shock.  I am actually quite shocked at this.

I guess I will be purchasing a margo and an avacado at the grocery store to replace both.  The avacado was in a small pot and dried out over the winter.

[rprimbs]

I've had very poor luck with avocados, which is ironic because when I bought the place I was surrounded by avocado groves.  The only avocado I've had do half way decent is the "Stewart" behind the Ross sapote.  I need to try and grow one in a level spot -- because they like a lot of leaf litter, mulch, underneath them.  I want to grow a Kona Sharwil, a Reed, and a Queen,

[palmsOrl]

I just noticed today that my ~2 foot tall miracle fruit tree (Synsepalum dulcificum) is producing its first fruit.  I need to check and see what color miracle fruit are supposed to be when fully ripe.

[mike-coral gables]

One of my Ackee Trees is full of fruit this year . Love this tree !

[palmsOrl]

On 7/7/2020 at 2:42 PM, palmsOrl said:

I just noticed today that my ~2 foot tall miracle fruit tree (Synsepalum dulcificum) is producing its first fruit.  I need to check and see what color miracle fruit are supposed to be when fully ripe.

My second crop of the year.  This is an easy grower in part sun in a warm, humid, rainy climate. 

It remains to be seen how it will do over winter, but obviously, it will be protected from freezing temperatures.

Anyone want seeds?  I can pop them in a pouch and mail them.

-Michael

[John Max]

[ mediterranean basin] Southern coast of the Republic of Türkiye and some northern basin floras. I'm not sure if any really qualify as tropic other than our little apples tree:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zMdcGXz2Pc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WExnL74pr8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cjy4Q29RHK8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j55m2lWkdpA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXDyK5mqG0w
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzCsG0EE8q0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n4CXG2xnfak
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLZWQK9B7SE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgVgpzfU1rA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDt8PBv_aNU

Edited January 24, 2021 by John Max

[Tracy]

My "Alfonso" Mango tree.  I've only had 3 or 4 mangoes mature and ripen off this one season.  It blooms like crazy, often twice per year and always has an abundance of leaves.  I'm hoping that I get at least a few fruit of this next round of buds its pushing out right now.

[greysrigging]

5 minutes ago, Tracy said:

My "Alfonso" Mango tree.  I've only had 3 or 4 mangoes mature and ripen off this one season.  It blooms like crazy, often twice per year and always has an abundance of leaves.  I'm hoping that I get at least a few fruit of this next round of buds its pushing out right now.

You need to give it a bit of a fright..... stress it out......frighten it into flowering and fruiting. Cut back on the water and dry stress the tree = lots of flowers.
Commercial growers in Darwin sometimes partially ring bark their trees to promote a flower set.  And growers also recognise the need for pollinators and arrange for beekeepers to place their hives in the orchards.
This one has appeared on my verge courtesy of a bird or fruit bat dropping a seed.

[Tracy]

5 minutes ago, greysrigging said:

Cut back on the water and dry stress the tree = lots of flowers.
Commercial growers in Darwin sometimes partially ring bark their trees to promote a flower set.  And growers also recognise the need for pollinators and arrange for beekeepers to place their hives in the orchards.

I always get plenty of flowers and the bees go to town on the thing (one of my neighbors across the street has a hive).  Its getting the fruit to set.  If all the little fruit that start out were to grow to full size the tree would fall over from the weight.  Due to our persistent spring fog I've had issues with mold setting in during late April and May, which is part of the challenge living in the coastal fog zone.  200 yards further east and it will be clear while at my house and west we are in a thick fog bank.  The plus is that is my air conditioning system and it operates for free most years.