Some pictures of my Jabuticaba tree in fruit

[Starling]

Brazilian native, and one of the world's few cauliflorous species ( fruit grows up the trunk) that produces palatable fruits, which taste like a combination of black grapes and lychee. Very productive tree, about 18 years old. This is still a baby; in Brazil they reach heights of 45 feet and at that size create a carpets of fruit several inches deep.

[Knight of Albion]

Fabulous! I'd never heard of it before, but I'm impressed. So much fruit! That'll keep you going for a while. (No pun intended!)

I must admit I did a quick scamper over to the 'Introductions' section just to remind myself. You're in Australia. I was going to say, you wouldn't grow that in the UK!

[veggiechicken]

I can't even pronounce it, let alone grow it
That's one more new thing I've learnt today

[Thelma Sanders]

Yes, it would certainly help realism set in - if we could see your location

[Starling]

Jaboticaba

Sorry guys, I'll update my profile to include my location, I should have done this by now but I'm....well, just a bit crap really

To reiterate, I'm based in QLD Australia. Home of metermaids (you can google that) and the most incompetent leader, both living/and deceased of an any OECD country in History, who not so long ago Knighted a Prince. A land of extremes after all

I think a lot of you with greenhouses would be surprised at the range of subtropical fruits you could grow. Jaboticaba can handle pretty low temperatures. You can quote me on this: If you have ever grown any Musa (banana)in existence in your location in a greenhouse, you can not only grow jaboticaba, but dozens of other 'tropical' fruits. Certainly they will handle wet feet better than anything I've experienced. I had a running thread once titled 'Jaboticaba in bucket of water X weeks and counting' on TFF, and I think I stopped counting at 12 weeks. Makes sense as they grow in along the Amazon.

The variety I have is called 'sabara', which is the small leafed jaboticaba. It's the most common, but not the highest quality cultivar. Probably the best is called 'escarlate', which produces red fruits. There is also a giant fruited version which produces fruit the size of golf balls. Picture below shows sabara on the left and the giant on the right.



While we're on large fruits,this (below) is the largest Australian 'fruit', the bunya nut. They can weigh up to 15kg, but most are around 10kg. Tree looks similar to a pine tree, but trees grow to 30-45M. Needless to say, it's not a good idea to walk below a bunya nut tree in nut season, because that might just be the story of you--force being equal to mass X acceleration, and all.The 'nut' itself is actually an aggregate of seeds bound together by a hard, thick husk that is deep green and very spiky. Raw, the nuts aren't much good and are floury, but roasted they are delicious.



Or maybe you'd prefer a giant custard apple? Ha! Just kidding. That's not a custard apple, but it is in the same family ( annonacea). It's a soursop. Absolutely delicious, tastes like lemonade. This is the giant version which has been known to produce fruits weighing upwards of 12kg.



I might try and coax my friend in Cairns to post some pics of the stuff he's got, some of it is not described to science and looks like it crawled out the spaceship that landed at roswell. I'm no slouch when it comes to exotic fruits, but his collection, and knowledge of taxonomy is incredible. He pretty much makes me look like a punk.

cheers
starling

[Guest]

I am loving all your weird and wonderfuls. Just a couple of questions cos I am nosey. Does your day job have anything to do with weird and wonderfuls and how did you start out (it just seems so random and impressive at the same time)?

[Starling]

I am loving all your weird and wonderfuls. Just a couple of questions cos I am nosey. Does your day job have anything to do with weird and wonderfuls and how did you start out (it just seems so random and impressive at the same time)?

Nope, nothing to do with my day Job, and I'm not a scientist--in fact I have an MA/BSW which is about as far removed from botany as possible, really. I work in the legal system--but I'm not a lawyer--yet. But I do love science! And especially biology.

Well, I think it all started out when I tried a purple mangosteen, which I bought from a specialty fruit stall in inner Brisbane. It blew me away--It was hard to believe that nature could produce such a thing. I started investing in other fruits, and it kind of spiraled out of control from thereon out. Soon, I was sourcing seeds of pretty much every tropical fruit I could grow in my location (I live on a 3 acre block, sounds like a lot but its complicated, I'll get into why one day) and a lot I couldn't--such as purple mangosteen, the very fruit that drew me into exotic fruit collecting originally. It's ultra tropical. Will not fruit below cairns, which is the true tropics.

Collecting started when I began participating in some Australian based rare fruit forums, and I was introduced to the guy I mentioned briefly in my above post, who is a scientist living in the wet tropics with degrees in several areas of biology out the wazoo. He basically took me under his wing, and supplied me with seedstock of rare Australian fruits that I could use to trade with international collectors. He knew I couldn't pay him back but did that for me anyway. Just an extremely good human being, really.

And so from that point, the ball having been got rolling for me, I started trading with increased intensity and just kind of started devoting more and more time to collecting and trading. It drives my girlfriend insane, but yeah--I won't be stopping anytime soon! Before I knew it I was a full blown tropical fruit collecting addict, investigating taxonomies, cultivars of rare fruit and making global connections with fellow collectors throughout Asian and South America. I have met some incredibly interesting people during my time in this Hobby--including one Brazilian who runs a Sloth Sanctuary! So here I am, with 160 of thereabouts different species at different levels of maturity and still collecting, with a focus on dragonfruit. As of now, I've started investigating rare temperate fruits and their viability in Australia--so if you know something I don't, point me in the right direction---I love being introduced to new fruits!

And similarly, if you ever need a fruit identified, or a fruiting cacti identified, don't hesitate to PM me. Chances are I will know what it is--and if I don't, I know who will.

starling

[rosiepumpkin]

Can you grow mango? My ex's MIL used to grow mangos in her garden in south Florida so presumably be ok in Oz too if you aren't in the dry bit.

[Scarlet]

I think a lot of you with greenhouses would be surprised at the range of subtropical fruits you could grow

Possibly, but we do have a height restriction too most greenhouse are no taller than 6/7ft in the apex and are generally no longer than 8ft. I struggle to fit my tomatoes in mine - let alone one of those monsters and I would need more than a wheelbarrow to get some of those fruit to my kitchen door.

[Starling]

Can you grow mango? My ex's MIL used to grow mangos in her garden in south Florida so presumably be ok in Oz too if you aren't in the dry bit.

Mangoes are so common on Queensland that I have no problem at all describing them as a feral species. There are so many trees, producing so many fruit each summer, that they actually cost the councils thousands of dollars per year as they clog and and therefore damage public sewage and guttering systems. They are everywhere.

They're actually not that tropical compared to some of the things I grow, more of a subtropical species. I'm not crazy into them because they are a harbinger for anthracnose and sooty type molds, which can spread to my dragonfruit. They are also like a magnet for fruit bats, which carry ABLV--a type of rabies that has a 100% fatality rate in Australia. It is worse than Ebola. But very, very rare.

There are several types of Mangoes produced commercially in Australia, the most common is Kensington Pride, followed by Calypso and Honey Gold. The mango export industry in Australia is a big deal.

The best mangoes in the world are produced in Florida, US, by the Zill's family. Lemon Zest Seems to be universally regarded as the best, with coconut cream not far behind.

The varieties I grow are:

Valencia Pride
Nam Doc Mai
Artaulfo
Kensington Pride

[Guest]

Just to end my jealousy........I bet a lot of us have better rhubarb than you

[Starling]

Just to end my jealousy........I bet a lot of us have better rhubarb than you

No doubt--you should have seen how my attempt at growing it turned out....bloody tragic. It was growing too slowly (well, to my eyes it was, there might not have been anything wrong with it) so I tried pushing it along with some hydroponic nutes. It subsequently produced a some small, deformed growth and kicked the bucket several days later. Another one for the 'tried and died' list lol

Also if you ever want to swap English bats for the zombie-virus carrying monsters I have to contend with--I'm down with that

[rosiepumpkin]

There you go, mangoes as a pest. That calls for a community mango chutney project. Can I just say that I have industrial quantities of chickweed and you're welcome to it. I have yet to persuade myself to eat it although allegedly it's a salad vegetable.