From
the Tropical
Fruit News, Rare Fruit Council International Miami RFCI
by Gene Joyner
The Jaboticaba
The jaboticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora)
is a medium size evergreen tree native to Brazil, which is widely grown
throughout tropical regions of the world. This is a slow growing rather
bushy tree often multi-stemmed with opposite small leaves usually less
than tow inches long and about three-quarters of an inch wide. The
larger trunks and branches have bark which peels off in small patches,
which is found to be attractive by most people.
Trees are
evergreen, but once or twice during the year they will shed large
numbers of leaves generally corresponding to heavy rains or other
weather conditions. Flowers are produced along the larger trunks and
branches and the small white flowers only last a day or two.
The
fruit form on the trunks on short stems and there may be two to three
fruits sometimes in a cluster. When trees are in heavy fruit, you
cannot see the branches for all the large numbers of dark
purplish-black fruits that look like large grapes. Fruit vary in size
from about three-quarters to an inch and a half and have a white pulp
with several small seeds like a regular grape does.
The fruits
can be eaten fresh, used in jellies, jams, ice creams, wines or other
products and the trees may produce between six to eight crops of fruit
per year. Fruit development is very rapid usually taking only
twenty-one to twenty-five days from flower to full maturity of the
fruit.
Trees because of the slow growth lend themselves very
well for growing in containers and for use for bonsais. Most trees are
produced from seed and seedling jaboticabas may not fruit until six to
ten years of age. Grafting can be done with jaboticabas, but usually is
only done to propagate selected forms that have larger fruit or more
heavier fruiting.
Jaboticabas do best in acid soil with a pH of
5.5 to 6.6 much like gardenias. Trees grown on highly alkaline soils
often develop micronutrient deficiencies which must be corrected by
frequent applications of nutritional sprays or soil amendments.
There
are few insect or disease problems that affect jaboticabas, however,
birds may eat mature fruit if the crop is left too long on the tree.
Trees
have few pest, however, they cannot withstand much salt wind and should
be protected from salt winds close to the ocean or intercoastal. Mature
trees are quite cold hardy taking down to 23 degrees for short periods
without serious damage. Young trees may be injured at around 28 or 29
degrees.
For best growth and fruit production plant jaboticabas
in a rich organic-type soil, water once or twice a week and mulch
heavily. Jaboticabas have shallow root systems that dry out quickly and
thrive better when planted in heavily mulched organic soils. In their
native areas jaboticabas are frequently flooded by rising rivers for
weeks at a time without serious damage so they are considered quite
water tolerant.
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Jaboticaga Page
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