Jaboticaba

[aztropic]

Even though planted in way too much shade, my jaboticaba tree manages to produce a small crop every year for a tropical treat in the desert.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[bubba]

Love these neat fruits from Brazil!

[aztropic]

Like a lot of tropical fruits,they do ripen quickly. Green one day, black the next! 😄👍

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[dalmatiansoap]

Interesting looking plant! How fruit taste?

[Palmarum]

1 hour ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Interesting looking plant! How fruit taste?

Yummy. 

Flavor varies. It tastes like a sweet grape to me. You plop the whole thing in your mouth, eat the fruit then spit out the seed or seeds. The skin is edible but can be tough to chew. Also makes an incredible jam or jelly if you are into preserving and get a lot of fruit you can't eat. Some new and interesting varieties are appearing.

Ryan

[aztropic]

23 hours ago, dalmatiansoap said:

Interesting looking plant! How fruit taste?

Agree with Ryan. Fruit has a delicious sweet sour taste and 2 seeds per fruit. Skin is thicker than a grapes, and rubbery to chew on,  so just spit it out. Wish my tree produced bigger crops, but the fruits I get are still a treat nonetheless.

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[Fusca]

On 4/5/2026 at 11:55 AM, aztropic said:

Agree with Ryan. Fruit has a delicious sweet sour taste and 2 seeds per fruit. Skin is thicker than a grapes, and rubbery to chew on,  so just spit it out. Wish my tree produced bigger crops, but the fruits I get are still a treat nonetheless.

Scott, have you or @Palmarum ever germinated seeds?  I brought a few back from Brasil one trip but wasn't successful.

[aztropic]

Never tried to germinate the seeds. I already have the tree, and jaboticaba trees are so slow growing, there would be no point in it. 🤷‍♂️

 

aztropic 

Mesa, Arizona 

[amh]

I have only grown the red variety, but jaboticaba is one of my favorite tropical fruits.

There is a sweet grape forward flavor, but I would add notes of candied citrus peel to its taste.

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Scott, have you or @Palmarum ever germinated seeds?  I brought a few back from Brasil one trip but wasn't successful.

I have grown these from seeds, but I believe the seeds must be fresh and kept moist.

[Palmarum]

1 hour ago, Fusca said:

Scott, have you or @Palmarum ever germinated seeds?  I brought a few back from Brasil one trip but wasn't successful.

I have germinated seed, just for fun. They need heat and humidity.

As Scott mentioned the tree is slow growing. I donated the seedlings at a garden club meeting, as at the time I had a larger specimen in a pot. I did not have the ideal spot to plant the larger Jaboticaba so I kept it in containers for years. After 15 years or so it never flowered in the pot, even after reaching about 10 ft. (3m) in height, so I sold it.

The newer varieties vary in fruit color and flavor, which I have seen for sale but have not sampled. Other varieties claim to 'flower and fruit sooner' or possibly in a pot. Once I met a Jaboticaba grower from Brazil at TPIE who mentioned working on dozens of varieties. I didn't get his name or business name but he seemed excited.

Ryan

[amh]

I should mention that the red jaboticaba is a plinia hybrid that matures very early and is common for container growing.

If I lived in an area that stays above 25F, I would be growing many of these fruit trees.

[Palmarum]

15 hours ago, amh said:

I should mention that the red jaboticaba is a plinia hybrid that matures very early and is common for container growing.

If I lived in an area that stays above 25F, I would be growing many of these fruit trees.

We tropical fruit fans do try to grow as many as we can down here, yard space willing.

There are other colored Jaboticaba varieties advertised here but I dunno if they are the same. Do you know the other half of the hybrid on your Red Jaboticaba?

Ryan

[Silas_Sancona]

41 minutes ago, Palmarum said:

There are other colored Jaboticaba varieties advertised here but I dunno if they are the same

Regarding the non- black / purple or red Jaboticaba varieties / species,  All are distinctly different.  Yellow, Myrciaria glazioviana,  tastes like Apricots or Peaches and is a steady grower,   White,  Plinia aureana, taste similar to the " standard " Jabo. types, but with addtnl. " Mango / Papaya / or Pineapple -like " notes..  Slow -ish and  burns easier than others. 

Blue,  Myrciaria vexator,  tastes like Grape and Blueberry.. Seemed to handle the most sun out of all of them..

Grown all of 'em here in the desert w/ few issues,  ..except that they must stay moist, in pots esp.  ..and should never be grown in anything but high, bright shade.

Neighbor's in- ground specimens seem to handle the dry breaks between their " lawn -esque " watering schedule. 

[amh]

3 hours ago, Palmarum said:

We tropical fruit fans do try to grow as many as we can down here, yard space willing.

There are other colored Jaboticaba varieties advertised here but I dunno if they are the same. Do you know the other half of the hybrid on your Red Jaboticaba?

Ryan

I believe the parents to red jaboticaba are plinia cauliflora and plinia aureana.

I'm growing the red type only since I'm 8a and colder.

2 hours ago, Silas_Sancona said:

Regarding the non- black / purple or red Jaboticaba varieties / species,  All are distinctly different.  Yellow, Myrciaria glazioviana,  tastes like Apricots or Peaches and is a steady grower,   White,  Plinia aureana, taste similar to the " standard " Jabo. types, but with addtnl. " Mango / Papaya / or Pineapple -like " notes..  Slow -ish and  burns easier than others. 

Blue,  Myrciaria vexator,  tastes like Grape and Blueberry.. Seemed to handle the most sun out of all of them..

Grown all of 'em here in the desert w/ few issues,  ..except that they must stay moist, in pots esp.  ..and should never be grown in anything but high, bright shade.

Neighbor's in- ground specimens seem to handle the dry breaks between their " lawn -esque " watering schedule. 

What he said.