Brazilian or Surinam Cherry or Pitanga

Eugenia uniflora

Buy Brazilian or Surinam Cherry or Pitanga

Glossy-leafed medium to large shrub with a soft juicy red fleshy fruit. Ideal hedge plant or specimen. Used fresh and in juices, jams and wine.

Bushy tree around 5-7m tall in its native Brazil. In cooler climates it forms a busy evergreen shrub around 3m tall with glossy green foliage. The fruit are highly ornamental glossy red berries around 3-4cm across with deep grooves similar in shape to a pumpkin. Fruit are deep red when ripe and reportedly aromatic, resinous and slightly sour. Some selections are sweet.

Best in rich free draining soils with a good thick . organic mulch layer in a sunny warm site. Fluffy white flowers are produced on around 3 year old plants and in warm climates 2 or 3 fruit crops per year can be produced. Plants are reasonably tolerant of dry conditions but respond with more fruit if well watered. Tolerant of light frosts.

Can be grown as an ornamental hedge so is tolerant of pruning to shape after flowering when young or fruit later. The foliage gives a pleasant antiseptic aroma when crushed.

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