#cherryoftheriogrande

[floridafruitgeek]

It's cherry season in Florida! Not the northern cherries (genus Prunus) many people know, but tropical "cherries" in the genus Eugenia. This one is Cherry of the Rio Grande, Eugenia aggregata, which is probably the most cold-hardy of the group, handling winter freezes down to 20F (-7C), so it's well-suited to growing here in North Florida. The Eugenia genus is big and diverse and delicious, including Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora), pitomba (Eugenia luschnathiana), and pitangatuba (Eugenia neonitida). I'm steadily expanding my Eugenia collection, enjoying the diversity of tropical "cherries". #cherryoftheRioGrande #Eugenia #Eugeniaaggregata #Eugeniainvolucrata #cherry #cherries

[floridafruitgeek]

Cherry of the Rio Grande is a great "cherry" for Florida. This species has a sweet fruit very similar in flavor and appearance to a northern cherry, but this a tropical fruit in the guava family that grows well in Florida (and other warm-climate regions). The plant is an attractive evergreen shrub that grows to around 15 feet tall, and it can handle freezing temps down to 20F (-7C). Since it ripens its fruit in spring, which is normally the dry season in Florida, regular watering during that springtime dry period helps it set a full crop. I once brought a basket piled piled high with these to a spring potluck, and they got eaten fast. Everyone asked, "Where can I buy these fruits?" I answered that nobody sells them that I know of, if you want to eat them you'll have to grow them yourself. #cherryoftheRioGrande #Eugenia #Eugeniaaggregata #Myrtaceae #tropicalcherry