Jaboticaba

[bubba]

This is one great fruit tree from Brazil.The only downside is that it takes about 6 years here to fruit.The fruit actually grows on the branches and is grape-like and very good.They can grow up to 25 feet tall in South Florida.They also can take light freezes(light).

Once it reaches maturity,the Jaboticaba can fruit up to 6 times a year.It fruits 20 to 30 days after it flowers.That is amazing.Everyone should be growing Jaboticaba!

[Jeff Searle]

Hey Bubba,

I just yesterday collected a whole 3 fruit of our small bush. Yippi!!! It's the first time it set fruit. Next year we'll get lots more.

Jeff

[cfkingfish]

I don't have one but there are some massive ones nearby that bear fruit often. They seem to like the acid soil and lots of water. They actually taste pretty good!

[Central Floridave]

I have a few mature trees and smaller ones.

They are great to eat and are very ornamental trees.

Acidic soil and lots'O'water fo'sure.

Photos from last week:

[Walt]

A friend (and master gardener with my county extension office) of mine bought small Jaboticaba last summer from Pine Island Nursery. He planted it late last summer or fall, can't remember which. In any event, I saw it about three weeks ago and was amazed how much larger it had grown.

My friend told me that he read (anecdotal info) that fruit can be obtained in less than six years if one practices the best in cultural care, i.e., proper irrigatation, fertilization, and good climate. I believe if this is so, my friend's tree will produce in less than six years, as all his other tropical trees (mango, West Indian avocado, all spice, 18 varieties of bananas, carambola, etc.) do so well. With respect to his climate, it's probably the best one will find here in Highlands County. He lives on the east shore of Lake June (3500 acres in size) and has a very good micro climate there -- unlike the icebox at my place just five miles away.

[Al in Kona]

Yeah we have one Jaboticaba planted in the garden which last year gave us our first fruit. We waited about 6 years before fruit. For sure it appreciates lots of water to grow and fruit well. There is an extra large fruiting form growing at our local county extension grounds.

[Central Floridave]

Some fruit getting close to ripeness. Fruit is tasty. Sort of like a concorde grape but with a tropical fruit mix, skin is thick and you don't eat. You bite into it and suck the flesh/juice out, and plant the seeds. Seeds germinate easy, but difficult/impossible for me to get past seedling stage. In Brazil they make wine out of it. I have tasted Jaboticaba wine and it is pretty good.

[Moose]

Here is a couple of photos of my little one. In the ground for one year from a three gallon container.

Ron.

[Big Tex]

This is one great fruit tree from Brazil.The only downside is that it takes about 6 years here to fruit.The fruit actually grows on the branches and is grape-like and very good.They can grow up to 25 feet tall in South Florida.They also can take light freezes(light).

Once it reaches maturity,the Jaboticaba can fruit up to 6 times a year.It fruits 20 to 30 days after it flowers.That is amazing.Everyone should be growing Jaboticaba!

We have one that is about 4' tall. No fruit yet. I saw them at a friend of mine's ranch outside of Brasilia, Brazil. She had several growing. The fruit was very good but the wasp around the tree weren't so much fun.

[amazondk]

I had a few real nice ones at my place in Fort Lauderdale. Unfortunately the people that bought the place ripped them out to make room for their new house. Here in Brazil you can get grafted jaboticabas that bear fruit at a young age. They really do like a lot of water. I need to get some for my country place. Although they are native to southeastern Brazil they grow will in our climate. In fact they even bear more fruit because we have more moisture.

dk

[Al in Kona]

Sure wish we could get some grafted Jaboticabas here. Lucky you.

[amazondk]

One time many years ago when I was driving around in Southeastern Brazil I ran into an area in the mountains on the border of Minas Gerais and Rio de Janeiro states that had these monster jaboticabas. They were very big trees. There is a variety that grows big and also has larger fruit I believe. In Minas Gerais there are people that will rent the trees on their property for others to come and harvest. It is sort of a family affair where a bunch of people get together and have a lets eat fresh jaboticaba feast.

dk

[KONADANTOM]

As mentioned by Al in Kona, our local Extension Office has some mature jaboticaba trees which are growing at an elevation of 1,600 feet. Every few months during the past year these trees have borne a new crop of dark purple tasty fruit along the tree trunks and branches. I am told by the oldtimers there that the frequency of fruit bearing seems to vary each year depending on a combination of factors including rainfall amounts, the frequency and duration of our afternoon Kona cloud cover and temperature. I staff our local Extension Office's Master Gardener Advice Line each month, and look forward to the mid-morning break time when I hike up the hill to forage jaboticaba (volunteering does have its rewards...). They have several different varieties of jaboticaba trees there, and to me the taste of the ripe fruit is a bit different in each variety. Interestingly, my friends either really like or really dislike the taste of jaboticaba. I've read that there are types of food which taste different to different people, and researchers think genetic factors may be the reason why taste buds can vary from person to person.

From my observations, each jaboticaba tree seems to have most of its fruit ripen at about the same time. Birds and ants are attracted to ripening jaboticaba fruit, so when the fruit ripens it is best to quickly harvest the ripe fruit (or better yet just stand and eat as many ripe fruit off the tree as you can before the persistent birds peck holes into many of the jaboticaba fruit). Even if the birds neglect to peck holes into some of the fruit, after ripening the fruit quickly falls onto the ground where it creates a messy blanket of purple pulp at the base of the tree - as the dropped fruit ferments in our warm tropical climate the area around the base of the tree smells like the inside of a winery where grapes are fermenting.

[Dave-Vero]

Two happy youngsters, one in partial shade, the other on the west side of the house, baked every afternoon. A third in partial shade hasn't grown in this, its first summer, so I'm worried.

[aussiearoids]

From my new refrence book ,, Brazilian Fruits & cultivated Exotics , many species listed from the rare white jaboticaba .

Myrciaria aureana from the south east corner . Myrciaria cauliflora is the one we all know . But it has a few selected cultivars . Paulista has very large fruits and a thin skin and is the prefered fruit for making jellies. Precoce or'hibrida' has foliage with repressed nerves . Also a dwarf from with red coloured fruit .

Myrciaria coronata rare recent discovery looks very similar , Myrciaria dubia a tree with larger fruit more red with yellow blush . Myrciaria floribunda have not got my reading glasses so will add info later .

I am growing Myrciaria glazioviana small shrub with yellow fruits , I got a fruit in 2 years , and was just given some by a mate , delicous . Has weeping habit and will grow well in shade . Also Myrciaria grandifolia

M tenella with bright red fruit . A few other spp. listed that very much similar to the one we all know . Some of these may prove dificult to get unless we can get Don on the job ;-)

[Moose]

Here is a couple of photos of my little one. In the ground for one year from a three gallon container.

Ron.

Bubba was spot on with his tree development and fruiting time table. This is the same plant as I posted images of in post # 8. Its the second time it has fruited and there are definitely more fruit this time around. I made the big mistake of showing the fruits to the wife, she was unaware it was even a fruit tree. She loves the fruit and now monitors the tree. I'll have to wait until the tree becomes more prolific to get my fill. Mike Harris (Waykoolplantz) has an amazing tree that produces copious amounts of fruits.

[Pando]

I took this picture at a local nursery where I bought my 15g tree. It's going to take a few years, but the thing is crazy when it starts fruiting!

[The Silent Seed]

Nice to see this thread! I have two - they are awesome!!! I really like their orange-reddish, smooth bark.

[Moose]

I took this picture at a local nursery where I bought my 15g tree. It's going to take a few years, but the thing is crazy when it starts fruiting!

IMG_4338 (956x1280).jpg

Holy Guacamole is that sucker is loaded. Thanks for posting the inspirational photo Pando. Hopefully in time I'll see such a bountiful fruit production.

[Cindy Adair]

I don't have any photos handy right now but I have grown this tree in pots in Virginia Beach for more than twenty years ( in my house for the winters pre greenhouse) and fruited it and now have seedlings from those fruits.

So yes they are easy in PR but anyone can get these to flower and fruit in a pot with patience!

Lovely bark and powderpuff white flowers and good natural bonsai as well which I am currently trying.

Everyone should grow this one!

Thanks for all the photos and enjoyed the thread that started before I became a frequent visitor here.

[Silas_Sancona]

Speaking of Jabos.. Added 3 specimens to my Eugenia / Jaboticaba collection this week.

While I can't name the nursery I ordered these from, i can say these are some of the nicest mail-order plants I have received In awhile. Impressive sizes for the price. All except the Red Jaboticaba ( left side of picture) were 1 gal plants I stepped into larger cans upon arrival.

Left to right: Left: Red/ Hybrid Jaboticaba, supposed to fruit a lot earlier than the traditional black varieties. Center: Blue Jaboticaba ( M. vexator), Right: Yellow Jaboticaba, likely 1 year away from starting to fruit.

Also picked up a 1 gal Eugenia brasiliensis. Hoping to add both a White, and Giant Jaboticaba from this guy soon.

-Nathan

Edited February 1, 2015 by Silas_Sancona

[Mandrew968]

I am going to plant mine in the neighbor's yard!

[JEFF IN MODESTO]

Slower than dypsis decipiens for me.

I have a twenty year old tree that just fruited last year for the first time.

[Moose]

 

The skin of the fruit is reported to have large quantities of powerful antioxidants.

[Josh-O]

are these slow growers?

[amazondk]

Yes they grow slow.  That is why the grafted trees are much better as they fruit a lot sooner.  Here they sell grafted Jaboticas that are about 3 feet tall that are fruiting already.

 

dk

[amazondk]

Yes they are slow.  That is why grafted trees are a lot better.  Here they sell grafted trees that are fruiting at about 3 feet tall.

 

dk

[Pando]

11 hours ago, Josh-O said:

are these slow growers?

They are kind of slow, but in the right climate they will grow, and they get pretty big. My 15g has grown about 30% bigger in a year.

You've got both, climate and land - put one in the ground!

I took this picture at a nursery in Vista, pretty close to where you're at. It was in the ground there in full sun and was huge, absolutely loaded with fruit. I climbed underneath and took a picture looking up. This is what you get in a few years:

 

Edited November 9, 2015 by Pando

[Brian]

I also find them to be pretty slow. Mine took about 7 years to start fruiting. To get them to grow faster I use a water soluble fertilizier like the ones they sell for acidic loving plants like Azalea, Camellia and Rhododendron. They have beautiful looking marks on the truck and branches that adds to the beauty of this tree. I try to prune them in a way that opens up the inside foliage. This not only helps with fruiting but also highlights the beauty of the bark on the trunk and branches. 

Here is mine between fruiting. its about 11 years old.

 

[Al in Kona]

Just got back from a visit to Brazil and in S. Brazil, state of Parana, I sampled some very large Jaboticaba fruits with a small seed and very sweet flavor. Saved the seed, put them in a zip lock baggy with sterile soil  medium and will hope they begin to germinate soon.  The fruit was considerably larger than those I've seen here or in California.  See pic below.