greatindianspices

Roses

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Roses are a group of herbaceous shrubs found in temperate regions throughout both hemispheres. All the Roses of the Antipodes, South Africa and the temperate parts of South America have been carried there by cultivation. French Rose (Rosa gallica) Click on graphic for larger image The birthplace of the cultivated Rose was probably Northern Persia, on the Caspian, or Faristan on the Gulf of Persia. Thence it spread across Mesopotamia to Palestine and across Asia Minor to Greece. And thus it was that Greek colonists brought it to Southern Italy. It is beyond doubt that the Roses used in ancient days were cultivated varieties. Horace, who writes at length on horticulture, gives us an interesting account of the growing of Roses in beds. Pliny advises the deep digging of the soil for their better cultivation. In order to force their growth, it was the practice to dig a ditch round the plants and to pour warm water into the ditch just as the rose-buds had formed. The varieties were then very limited in number, but it would appear that the Romans, at all events, knew and cultivated the red Provins Rose (Rosa gallica), often mistakenly called the Provence Rose. The word rosa comes from the Greek word rodon (red), and the rose of the Ancients was of a deep crimson colour, which probably suggested the fable of its springing from the blood of Adonis.

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Waimeai

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Waimeai Falls Park

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Pale pink Azalea

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Pale pink Azalea

This is my favorite color.

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Hale Koa flowers

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Hale Koa flowers

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Hale Koa flowers

I thought this one was especially beautiful, Water lilly

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Joan's Yard

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Joan's Yard

These are on a huge tree. Many leis are made from these very aromatic flowers. I love them.

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Kiribati

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Kiribati Photo Shoot

Another macro flower shot.

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Betty's

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Betty's

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Betty's flowers in Selma 6-20-04

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Rose

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Rose

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Rose

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Rose

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Rose pictures at this site were taken at the Rose Gardens at Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis ( Spring 2000), Huntington Botanical Garden, Los Angeles, and private collection (Prof. Ton That Trinh, Irvine, California (Summer 2000).

Most of roses growing today are "Modern Roses" which have been developed after 1867. Before 1867, all cultivated roses belong to "Old Garden Roses" class. 1867 is the year that new hybrid roses were produced by crossing between a hybrid perpetual with a tea rose. This new class of roses bloom repeatedly and abundantly from Spring to Fall and made rose to be the Queen of the Flower Garden!

For the list of all roses at this site, click on Roses A thru Z. You can also choose Hybrid Teas, Floribundas, Grandifloras or Other Roses.

Hybrid Tea Rose is the biggest and most popular group of the Modern Roses. Hybrid Teas were developed by crossing between Tea Roses with Hybrid Perpetual Roses. The roses in this group are big, multi-petal and repeated flowering. The earliest Hybrid Tea Rose was produced by a French botanist in 1867.
Floribundas were produced by crossing between Hybrid Teas and Polyantha Roses. Floribundas have multiple flowers on each stem and more free, perpetual flowering. The earliest Floribundas were produced in 1924.
Grandiflora is one of the newest class of roses which was introduced in Great Britain in 1954. Grandifloras were the products of crossing between Hybrid Teas with Floribundas. Flowers are large double with many different colors. The first grandiflora is named 'Queen Elizabeth'.
Other roses: New English Shrub, Hybrid Perpetual, Landscape, Miniature and Climbing roses.

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Grapes

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Grapes

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Apple

Grapes

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A grape is the fruit of a vine in the family Vitaceae. It is commonly used for making grape juice, jelly, wine and raisins, or can be eaten raw.

Many species of grape exist including:

Vitis vinifera, the European winemaking grapes
Vitis labrusca, the North American table and grape juice grapes, sometimes used for wine
Vitis riparia, a wild grape of North America, sometimes used for winemaking
Vitis rotundifolia, the muscadines, used for jelly and sometimes wine
Vitis aestivalis, the variety Norton is used for winemaking
Vitis lincecumii (also called Vitis aestivalis or Vitis lincecumii), Vitis berlandieri (also called Vitis cinerea var. helleri), Vitis cinerea, Vitis rupestris are used for making hybrid wine grapes and for pest-resistant rootstocks.

Hybrids also exist, primarily crosses of V. vinifera with one or more varieties of V. labrusca, V. riparia or V. aestivalis. Hybrids tend to be less susceptible to frost and disease (notably phylloxera), but their wine has little of the characteristic "foxy" odor of labrusca.

Currently, a large fraction of the grape crop goes to producing grape juice to be used as a sweetener for fruits canned "with no added sugar" and "100% natural".

Grapes are being extensively researched all over the world as a result of the "French Paradox" contrasting the diets of the French with those of other Western countries, particularly the United States. Despite the fact that the French eat substantially more animal fat, they have a significantly lower incidence of heart disease. Many scientists now believe the reason is the greater consumption of red wine in France. Compounds such as resveratrol have been discovered in grapes.

Resveratrol and other grape compounds have been positively linked to fighting cancer, heart disease, degenerative nerve disease and other ailments.

Although many people incorrectly assume that red grapes have the most health benefits, the fact is that grapes of all colors have comparable benefits. Red wine has health benefits not found in white wine because many of these compounds are found in the skins of the grapes and only red wine is fermented with the skins.

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Apple

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Apple

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" Round fruit with firm juicy flesh and green, red or yellow skin when ripe.

" Apples contain a lot of fibers.

" Don't eat wagonloads of appleseeds, each one contains a little bit of cyanide. This is done by the tree in order to spread its seeds. Our bodies and those of animals will more likely excrete the seeds and not digest them when they are a little toxic. The toxic is not digested but you should be careful with the consumption of crushed seeds.

" The vitamin C content of apples depends on what kind of apple it is. Most sorts contain a lot of vitamin C.

" Nutrition Facts

Fruit Nutrition Facts

Fruit comparison tables. Overview of vitamin and mineral content including nutrition charts of the individual fruits.

Lose weight with fruit

This article can be helpful in your efforts to reach your ideal weight in a healthy way. It shows how to gradually obtain your personal ideal weight by eating as much fruit as you like!

Dietary Tools

Free diet tools for complete nutritional analysis.

Fruit & detoxification of the body

This article describes the detoxification process of the body, stimulants and the slow reaction of your body, it reacts like an oil tanker.

Olives and Olive Oil

This fruit should be a part of everbody's diet.

Read this article and find out about the amazing health benefits of olives and olive oil.

The Energy in fruit - fruit provides clean energy

This article deals with the following subjects related to fruit:

- Proteins;

- Water in fruit;

- The burning process & sugar in fruit..

" Selection

Fruit Selection

Be sure to select only the best fruits at your local store. There are many different ways to check if a fruit is of good quality and here you can find how.

Take The Tour

Surprise yourself: learn things about fruit you never even thought existed.

Recipes

The most delicious recipes containing fruit.

" Recipes

Recipes - RecipeZaar: The World's Smartest Cookbook

The Fruit Pages have partnered with RecipeZaar to provide complete nutritional analysis. Over 40.000 recipes with nutrition facts per serving size. Search by course, special diets, country and even "time to make". Ofcourse a large fruit recipe database is available under the ingredient section. According to some an "addictive cooking tool". Go check it out.

Healthy Nutrition - PCRM

The PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) describes preventive nutrition and offers a lot of interesting articles about modern nutrition. Latest scientific researches and more. Check out the article about calcium in dairy,

Fruit & Diabetes

Ashley's Diabetes Information Center - A place where you can find Nutritional Information, Restaurant Nutritional links, Diabetes Resources, Medical Centers in your area, carb counting, diabetes symptoms & treatement, Learn about diabetes.

Fruit List

Fruit list sorted by common name. Name, Genus Species and Family. Provided by crfg.org

Fruit Business

Fruit online, your link to the fruit business. Fruit-prices, market-analyses, statistics, fruit industry news and business opportunities.

Fruit Allergies

This web site offers information about fruit allergies.

Mark Rieger's Fruit Crop Home Page

Your source of information on the world's major fruit crops.

California Rare Fruit Growers, Inc.

A series of publications containing information on individual fruits, including botanical identification.

UltimateCitrus.com - The Ultimate Citrus Page

Source for Citrus Information.

National Agricultural Library (NAL)

NAL is a major international source for agriculture and related information.

Gardening in Western Washington

All about gardening from the Washington State University.

American Diabetes Association

For information about fruit and diabetes.

Dole 5 a day

Teaches the importance of eating five fruits and vegetables every day and provides recipes for kids to try.

The Fruit Game

Funny fruit game.

Fruit of the Loom

Clothing.

NAFEX

North American Fruit Explorers. An organization of amateur growers of fruit and nuts.

UC Fruit & Nut Center

Department of Pomology University of California.

Tropical Fruit Aloha.com

Includes description, history, storage, and uses for tropical fruit.

Fruit and Vegetable Programs

USDA Agricultural Marketing Service

Tropical Fruit Names List

View by scientifical name or common name.

For more information about apples check out the Urban Programs Resource Network of the University of Illinois Extension. They offer a lot of information.

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Tomato

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Tomato

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Tomato

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Cultivation and uses

The tomato is now grown world-wide for its edible fruits, with thousands of cultivars having been selected with varying fruit types, and for optimum growth in differing growing conditions. Cultivated tomatoes vary in size from 'cherry tomatoes', about the same 1-2 cm size as the wild tomato, up to 'beafsteak' tomatoes 10 cm or more in diameter. The most widely grown commercial tomatoes tend to be in the 5-6 cm diameter range. Most cultivars produce red fruit, but a number of cultivars with yellow fruit are also available. Tomatoes grown for canning are often elongated, 7-9 cm long and 4-5 cm diameter; these are known as 'plum tomatoes'.

Early history

It is believed to have been first cultivated in ancient Peru, where several similar wild species still grow. Then about three thousand years ago it was brought to Mexico. It is an offshoot of the Mexican lineage which is thought to be the direct ancestor of the modern cultivated tomato. The pottery of ancient Peruvian city-states do not appear to mention the tomato, this has led some botanists to conclude that the first cultivation of the tomato was done in Mexico. However this is not conclusive as many other fruits in continuous cultivation in Peru are not present in the pottery. Also much horticultural knowledge was lost after the arrival of Europeans, as the Christian Church had a policy of burning all Pre-Columbian books as pagan.

European discovery

In the 16th and 17th centuries, many Europeans believed tomatoes were poisonous because of the plant's relationship to nightshade, although they were grown as ornamental plants in gardens. Tomato leaves and stems are indeed poisonous but the fruit is safe.

The first traces of use of tomato as food in Europe date back to southern Europe in the first half of the 18th century. Only in the second half of the 19th century cultivation of the tomato as food begins to be widespread, mainly in southern Italy and France. Vincenzo Corrado, a cook in the Neapolitan court, describes recipes with tomatoes in the book Il cuoco galante, first edition 1773, adding more recipes with tomatoes in the 1819 edition.

In 1809, Nicolas Appert, a chef from Paris, published L'art de conserver les substances alimentaires d'origine animale et végétale pour plusieurs années, a book on food conservation where he deals with preserving tomatoes.

North America

Young tomato plants in a garden

In the United States, Thomas Jefferson was a pioneer in growing tomatoes. Beginning in 1809, he had large ribbed "Spanish" tomatoes cultivated on his plantation. Jefferson's daughters left numerous recipes that involved tomatoes, including gumbo soups, cayenne-spiced tomato soup, green tomato pickles, tomato preserves, and tomato omelettes. Tomatoes were purchased in 1806 for Presidential dinners. Randolph's The Virginia Housewife has seventeen recipes for tomatoes, including gazpacho, gumbo, and catsup. In an 1824 speech before the Albemarle Agricultural Society, Jefferson's son-in-law, Thomas Mann Randolph discussed the transformation of Virginia farming due to the introduction of new crops. He mentioned how tomatoes were virtually unknown ten years earlier, but by 1824 everyone was eating them because they believed they kept one's blood pure in the heat of summer

A story that is still widely cited is that the lingering doubts about the safety of the tomato in the United States were largely put to rest in 1820, when Colonel Robert Gibbon Johnson announced that at noon on September 28, he would eat a basket of tomatoes in front of the Salem, New Jersey courthouse. Reportedly, a crowd of more than 2,000 persons gathered in front of the courthouse to watch the poor man die after eating the poisonous fruits, and were shocked when he lived. Many historians however doubt that this event ever happened.

Modern uses of tomatoes

Tomatoes on a vine

Tomatoes are now eaten freely throughout the world. Today, their consumption is believed to benefit the heart. Lycopene, one of nature's most powerful antioxidants, is present in tomatoes and has been found to be beneficial in preventing prostate cancer, among other things.

Botanically a fruit, the tomato is generally thought of and used as a vegetable: it's more likely to be part of a sauce or a salad than eaten whole as a snack, let alone as part of a dessert (though, depending on the variety, they can be quite sweet, especially roasted).

Tomatoes are used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, especially Italian ones. The tomato has an acidic property that is used to bring out other flavors. This same acidity makes tomatoes especially easy to preserve in home canning as tomato sauce or paste. Tomato juice is often canned and sold as a beverage. Unripe green tomatoes can also be used to make salsa, be breaded and fried, or pickled.

The town of Buñol, Spain annually celebrates La Tomatina, a festival centered on an enormous tomato fight. Tomatoes are also a popular "non-lethal" throwing weapon in mass protests, and there is a common tradition of throwing rotten tomatoes at bad actors or singers on a stage.

Controversie

Botanical classification

The tomato was originally described scientifically in 1753 by Carolus Linnaeus in the genus Solanum as Solanum lycopersicum L. (derivation, 'lycopersicum', "wolf-peach"). Later, in 1768, Philip Miller contended that it was sufficiently distinct from other Solanum species to be given its own genus, so he named it Lycopersicon esculentum. This name, though widely used, is in breach of the plant naming rules, as he failed to use Linnaeus' species name; this oversight was corrected by Hermann Karsten who published the combination Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L.) H. Karst. in 1881.

However, modern genetic evidence has now shown that Linnaeus was correct, and Miller wrong, in the correct generic placement of the tomato; it is fully within the range of genetic variation found in the genus Solanum. Therefore, Linnaeus' original name has been restored for the species.

Fruit or vegetable?

Tomato fruit

Botanically speaking a tomato is the ovary, together with its seeds, of a flowering plant. This would mean that technically it would be considered a fruit. However, from a culinary perspective the tomato is typically served as or part of a main course of a meal, meaning that it would be considered a vegetable. This argument has led to actual legal implications in the United States. In 1887, U.S. tariff laws which imposed a duty on vegetables but not on fruits caused the tomato's status to become a matter of legal importance. The U.S. Supreme Court settled this controversy in 1893, declaring that the tomato is a vegetable, along with cucumbers, squashes, beans, and peas, using the popular definition which classifies vegetables by use, that they are generally served with dinner and not dessert. The case is known as Nix v. Hedden.

Pronunciation

Heirloom tomato varieties

The pronunciation of tomato differs in different English speaking countries; it can either be pronounced to-MAY-toe or to-MAA-toe. The difference is inherent in the dialects, British English and Commonwealth English speakers typically saying to-MAA-toe, while American English speakers have a tendency to say to-MAY-toe. The word's multiple pronunciations were immortalized in song in Gershwin's 1937 song, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off (You say to-may-to and I say to-mah-to / you say po-tay-to and I say po-tah-to), and have become a symbol for nitpicking pronunciation disputes. In this capacity it has even become an American slang term, saying "to-may-toe, to-maa-toe" when presented with two choices can mean "what's the big deal, there's no real difference.".

Picking and ripening

Tomatoes on vine

Tomatoes are often picked unripe, and ripened in storage with ethylene. Ethylene is the plant hormone produced by many fruits and acts as the cue to begin the ripening process. These tend to keep longer, but have poorer flavor and a mealier, starchier texture than tomatoes ripened on the plant. They may be recognized by their color, which is more pink or orange than the ripe tomato's deep red.

Recently, stores have begun selling "tomatoes on the vine" which are ripened still connected to a piece of vine. These tend to have more flavor (at a price premium) than artificially-ripened tomatoes, but still may not be the equal of local garden produce.

Also relatively recently, slow-ripening cultivars of tomato have been developed by crossing a non-ripening variety with ordinary tomato cultivars. Cultivars were selected whose fruits have a long shelf life and at least reasonable flavor.

Storage

The best storage temperature for tomatoes remains disputed, with a wide range of temperatures from 6°C to 18°C cited by different sources; temperatures below 12.5°C are reported by some sources to cause loss of flavor or other damage, with others stating that low temperatures improve storage time.

Tomato records

The heaviest tomato ever was one of 3.51 kg (7 lb 12 oz), of the cultivar 'Delicious', grown by Gordon Graham of Edmond, Oklahoma in 1986. The tallest tomato plant grown was 19.8 m (65 ft) by Nutriculture Ltd (UK) of Mawdesley, Lancashire, UK, in 2000.

Tomato

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) is a plant in the Solanaceae or nightshade family, native to South and Central America. It is an annual plant, typically growing to 1-3 m long, with a weakly woody stem that usually scrambles over other plants. The leaves are 10-25 cm long, pinnate, with 5-9 leaflets, each leaflet up to 8 cm long, with a serrated margin; both the stem and leaves are densely glandular-hairy. The flowers are 1-2 cm across, yellow, with five pointed lobes on the corolla; they are borne in a cyme of 3-12 together. The fruit is an edible, brightly coloured (usually red, from the pigment lycopene) berry, 1-2 cm diameter in wild plants, commonly much larger in cultivated forms.

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Orange

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Orange

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Orange refers to a citrus tree (Citrus sinensis) and the fruits of this tree. It is a hybrid of ancient cultivated origin, possibly between pummelo (Citrus maxima) and tangerine (Citrus reticulata). It is a small tree, growing to about 10 m tall, with thorny shoots and evergreen leaves 4-10 cm long. The fruit originated in southeast Asia, in either India, Vietnam or southern China. The fuuit from the species Citrus aurantium are also called oranges, varieties of C. aurantium are more bitter than C. sinensis.

Cultivation and uses

'Ambersweet' oranges

Orange cultivation is a major business and an important part of the economies of the US states of Florida and California, many Mediterranean countries, Romania, South Africa, China, and the Riverina district around the Murray River in Australia.

Oranges are widely grown in warm climates worldwide, and the flavors of orange vary from sweet to sour. The fruit is commonly peeled and eaten fresh, or squeezed for its juice. It has a thick bitter rind that is usually discarded, but can be processed into animal feed by removing water using pressure and heat. It is also used in certain recipes as flavoring or a garnish. The outer-most layer of the rind is grated or thinly veneered with a tool called a zester, to produce orange zest which is popular in cooking because it has a similar flavor to the fleshy inner part of the orange. The white part of the rind, called the pith, is almost always discarded. Oranges also can be used to create citrus oil, which is used in aromatherapy to uplift and relieve stress.

Oranges and orange juice

Other products made from oranges include:

Orange juice is one of the commodities traded on the New York commodities market. Brazil is the largest producer of orange juice in the world, followed by Florida, USA.
Orange oil, produced by pressing the peel, is used in surface conditioning of wooden furniture, and along with other citrus oils in grease removal and as a hand-cleansing agent. Orange spray, extracted from orange peels and sold commercially, is an extremely efficient cleaning agent which is environmentally friendly and non-toxic. It also smells much more pleasant than other cleaning agents.
The orange blossom, which is the state flower of Florida, is traditionally associated with good fortune, and was popular in bridal bouquets and headwreaths for weddings for some time. The petals of orange blossom can also be made into a delicately citrus-scented version of rosewater.
Orange blossom honey, or actually citrus honey, is produced by putting beehives in the citrus groves during bloom, which also pollinates seeded citrus varieties. Orange blossom honey is highly prized, and tastes much like orange.

Cultivars

Blood oranges

All citrus trees are of the single genus Citrus, and remain largely interbreedable; that is, there is only one "superspecies" which includes lemons, limes and oranges. Nevertheless, names have been given to the various members of the citrus family, oranges often being referred to as Citrus sinensis and Citrus aurantium. All members of the genus Citrus are considered berries because they have many seeds, are fleshy, soft and derive from a single ovary.

A number of cultivars are now cultivated around the world. The sweet orange was first grown in Spain, and has become the most popular variety. The sweet orange will grow to different sizes and colors according to local conditions, most commonly with ten carpels, or slices, inside.

A single mutation in 1820 in an orchard of sweet oranges planted at a monastery in Brazil led to the navel orange, also known as the Washington, Riverside or Bahia navel. A single cutting of the original was then transplanted to Riverside, California in 1870, creating a new market worldwide. The mutation causes a 'twin' fruit, with a smaller orange embedded in the outer fruit opposite the stem. From the outside, the smaller, undeveloped twin leaves a formation at the top of the fruit, looking similar to the human navel. Navel oranges are almost always seedless, and tend to be larger than the sweet orange. They are produced without pollination, through parthenocarpy.

The Valencia or Murcia orange is one of the sweet oranges used for juice extraction. It is a late-season fruit, and therefore a popular variety when the navel oranges are out of season.

The blood orange has streaks of red in the fruit, and the juice is often reddish. The mandarin orange is similar, but smaller and sweeter, and the scarlet navel is a variety with the same diploid mutation as the navel orange.

Etymology

Orange derives from Sanskrit nāraṅgaḥ "orange tree", with borrowings through Persian nārang, Arabic nāranj, Spanish naranja, Late Latin arangia, Italian arancia or arancio, and Old French orenge, in chronological order. The first appearance in English dates from the 14th century. The name of the colour is derived from the fruit, first appearing in this sense in the 16th century.

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EDIBLE HARDY PALM FRUITS

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EDIBLE HARDY PALM Plant

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EDIBLE HARDY PALM FRUITS

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GUADALUPE PALM

Brahea edulis HBK Mart.

Common Names: Guadalupe Palm, Guadalupe Fan Palm.

Related Species: Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea armata), Palma Dulce (B. dulcis).

Origin: Guadalupe palms are native to Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Mexico but are widely grown in many parts of the world.

Adaptation: Guadalupe palms thrive in dry, sunny climates, and do not like humid tropical conditions. The palms grow well in many parts of California and are hardy to at least 20° F (USDA Zones 9-10A). They can be grown for some time as container specimens.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The palms are robust and slow-growing to 30 feet with a canopy of several dozen leaves. The naked, elephant-hide trunk is ringed with leaf scars. Their slow growth, moderate size and clean habits make them attractive landscape specimens.

Foliage: The fan-shaped, costapalmate, stiffly folded leaves are 3-6 feet long and 3-4 feet wide, dividing about halfway into 70-80 segments that split deeply at the tips. They are green on both sides and sometimes contain teeth on the margins of the petioles. The trees tend to be self-cleaning.

Flowers: Large clusters of yellow, bisexual flowers are borne on 4-5 foot inflorescences that hang down from the leaves. Pollination is by wind and insects.

Fruit: Plump, black fruits, about one inch in diameter are borne in great sprays on the trees. The pleasant, sweet taste is somewhat like dates.

CULTURE

Location: Guadalupe palms do best in a sunny location. Their wind and salt tolerance make them suitable for beach and desert conditions.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms require little or no water once they are established.

Fertilizing: Guadalupe palms have a low nutrient requirement.

Pruning: The palms seldom need pruning.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in two to four months.

Pests and Diseases: The palms have no major pests, diseases or physiological problems.

Harvest: The fruits are picked as they ripen. They can be eaten fresh or made into jams and puddings. Under refrigeration they can be stored for a month or more.

JELLY PALM

Butia capitata Becc.

Common Names: Jelly Palm, Pindo Palm, Wine Palm.

Related Species: Yatay Palm (Butia yatay).

Origin: Jelly palms are native to central-southern Brazil and adjacent areas of Uruguay and Argentina. Today they are widely grown in many parts of the world.

Adaptation: The jelly palm is the hardiest feather-leafed palm currently in wide cultivation, withstanding low temperatures of at least 15° F (USDA Zones 8B-10B). They grow well in central and northern California, Florida and the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts into the Carolinas. Their small size and slow growth habit make jelly palms good container specimens.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The trees are slow-growing to about 15 feet with a canopy of 40-50 leaves. The trunk is heavy and patterned with stubs of old leaves. Jelly palms vary considerably in nature, the forms differing in ultimate height, trunk thickness, leaf color and amount of arching, and fruit color and taste. Their neat, compact growth makesthem very attractive landscape features. They are widely used as specimen trees in California and northern Florida, where they also function well in median and avenue plantings.The trees very wind-tolerant.

Foliage: The arching, blue-green, 4-6 foot, pinnate leaves are crowded with many upward-pointing leaflets that form a pronounced V-shape. The petiole is armed with stout, sharp teeth along the margin. The leaflets are about 2-1/2 feet long and 1 inch wide.

Flowers: Numerous, very small creamy yellow to reddish flowers are borne on once-branched, 3-4 ft. long inflorescences bearing separate male and female flowers. Pollination is by wind and insects.

Fruit: The one-inch, yellow to orange-colored fruits are round to oval-shaped, and hang in large sprays from the tree. Each fruit contains a single seed. The sweet-tart flavor is reminiscent of both apricots and a pineapple-banana mixture.

CULTURE

Location: Jelly palms do best in a sunny location but will take some shade. Wind is no problem because of their high tolerance to it.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions and have a moderate salt tolerance.

Irrigation: Jelly palms are highly drought-tolerant, but appreciate an occasional watering in summer-dry areas.

Fertilizing: The trees seem to thrive with little or no fertilizing, although they respond to a spring fertilizing with a complete fertilizer. Another light fertilizing in mid-summer is also helpful.

Pruning: The only pruning necessary is the removal of lower leaves as they become untidy looking.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in six months or more. Germination is faster after dry storage.

Pests and Diseases: The major pest problem is scale. Major disease or physiological problems are ganoderma, stigmina leaf spot, graphiola false smut and phytophthora bud rot.

Harvest: Jelly palm fruits are picked as they ripen. If whole bunches are harvested, they tend to ripen all at once. The fruits can be eaten fresh and pureed, or used to make an excellent jelly as well as wine. They can be stored for about a week under refrigeration.

CHILEAN WINE PALM

Jubaea chilensis Baill.

Common Names: Chilean Wine Palm, Honey Palm, Coquito Palm.

Origin: The palm is native to coastal valleys in Chile that do not experience extremes of both heat or cold. It is now grown worldwide in Mediterranean type climates, including California. It is the most southerly representative of the palm family in South America. Because of extensive sap collection from them, which ultimately kills the tree, the palms have become threatened in the wild with very few stands remaining. The species is now protected by law in Chile.

Adaptation: Chilean wine palms are intolerant of hot, humid tropical or subtropical climates and do not thrive in such places as Florida. They grow well in many parts of California and are hardy to about 20° F (USDA Zones 9-10A). Because of their slow growth habit, Jubaeas can be grown for some time as a container specimen.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The slow-growing trees can reach a height of 50-80 feet. Thick, 4-6 foot diameter trunks are dark gray and conspicuously marked with raised, diamond-shaped leaf scars. The elegant, feathery palms are attractive as specimen trees or in avenue plantings.

Foliage: The stiff, spreading, 6-12 foot, pinnately compound leaves are dull green above and gray below. The 2 foot long, 1 inch wide leaflets tend to split at their ends. The trees are essentially self-cleaning, neatly dropping their older leaves.

Flowers: Sprays of tiny purple flowers are borne on once-branched, 4 foot long inflorescence bearing triads of one female and two male flowers. Pollination is by wind and various insects.

Fruit: The 2 inch, oval, egg-yellow, edible fruits hang down in bunches and are fleshy and sweet. Each contains a single hard, smooth-shelled nut about 1-1/2 inches in diameter with a pleasant, open-centered edible kernel, known as cokernut or pygmy coconut. The taste is somewhat like a miniature coconut.

CULTURE

Location: Chilean wine palms do best in a sunny location. The trees are wind-tolerant, but their low salt tolerance make them generally unsuitable as beach palms.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms are highly drought-tolerant once they are established.

Fertilizing: Young trees benefit from an occasional light fertilizing with a complete fertilizer. Older trees generally thrive without fertilizing.

Pruning: Pruning is is seldom needs since the trees tend to drop older leaves as they begin to die.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate erratically in six months to over a year.

Pests and Diseases: The palms have no major pests, diseases or physiological problems.

Harvest: The fruits are harvested as they ripen or fall to the ground. They are sometimes candied. The edible kernels are eaten raw or made into confections. The nuts will keep for months in cool, dryish storage. In Chile the sap from the trunk is fermented into palm wine or boiled down to a syrup known as palm honey. To harvest the sap, the crown of leaves is cut off, after which the sap begins to flow. This will continue for several months, provided a thin slice is shaved off the top each morning, until the tree is exhausted. Individual trees can yield up to 90 gallons.

CALIFORNIA FAN PALM

Washingtonia filifera H. Wendl.

Common Names: California Fan Palm, Desert Fan Palm, Petticoat Palm.

Related Species: Thread Palm, Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta).

Origin: California fan palms occur near streams and springs on borders of the Colorado Desert of California and southwest Arizona. The related W. robusta is native to arid regions of Sonora and Baja California, Mexico.

Adaptation: The palms are extensively grown in many parts of California and are common along the Gulf Coast and in Florida, as well as in other parts of the world, particularly those with Mediterranean-type climates. They are hardy to 18° F (USDA Zones 8-11).

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The robust palms grow at a moderate rate to about 50 feet with a large canopy of several dozen leaves. The cylindrical, closely ringed and fissured trunks are swollen at the base and covered with a "petticoat" of dead, pendant leaf stalks, extending almost to the ground. The trees are especially valuable as avenue plants, and are widely used as such in southern California and Arizona. The also make handsome specimens They are not a particularly good choice for container culture because of their relatively fast rate of growth.

Foliage: The immense, fan-shaped, costapalmate, grayish-green leaves are 3-4 feet long and 6-7 feet wide, dividing about halfway into 50-70 pointed segments that bend and split at the tips with threads in between. The leaves are edged with prickles and stand well apart in an open crown.

Flowers: Numerous white to apricot, bisexual flowers are borne on 9-15 foot arching, branched inflorescences that hang down from among the leaves. Pollination is by wind and various insects.

Fruit: The berry-like, small fruits are brownish-black and have a thin, sweet pulp that tastes somewhat like dates or butterscotch. Each fruit contains a single seed.

CULTURE

Location: California fan palms are wind-tolerant and do best in a sunny location.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms are drought-tolerant but appreciate some moisture. In native stands they always grow near springs or other moist spots.

Fertilizing: The trees respond to an occasional light fertilizing, particularly when young. Older trees seem to do well without regular fertilizing.

Pruning: Cultivated trees usually have the shag of dead leaves removed, since this can be a fire hazard as well as a home to rats and mice. Older, untidy leaves are also sometimes removed.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in six weeks to two months.

Pests and Diseases: Major diseases include phytophthora bud rot, pestalotiopsis and diamond scale fungus.

Harvest: The small fruits are harvested when ripe and eaten fresh or dried, or made into jellies and drinks. The seeds are also edible and were widely used by Native Americans who ground them into meal for making bread or porridge.

EDIBLE HARDY PALM FRUITS

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GUADALUPE PALM

Brahea edulis HBK Mart.

Common Names: Guadalupe Palm, Guadalupe Fan Palm.

Related Species: Mexican Blue Palm (Brahea armata), Palma Dulce (B. dulcis).

Origin: Guadalupe palms are native to Guadalupe Island off the west coast of Mexico but are widely grown in many parts of the world.

DESCRIPTION

Flowers: Large clusters of yellow, bisexual flowers are borne on 4-5 foot inflorescences that hang down from the leaves. Pollination is by wind and insects.

Fruit: Plump, black fruits, about one inch in diameter are borne in great sprays on the trees. The pleasant, sweet taste is somewhat like dates.

CULTURE

Location: Guadalupe palms do best in a sunny location. Their wind and salt tolerance make them suitable for beach and desert conditions.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms require little or no water once they are established.

Fertilizing: Guadalupe palms have a low nutrient requirement.

Pruning: The palms seldom need pruning.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in two to four months.

Pests and Diseases: The palms have no major pests, diseases or physiological problems.

Harvest: The fruits are picked as they ripen. They can be eaten fresh or made into jams and puddings. Under refrigeration they can be stored for a month or more.

JELLY PALM

Butia capitata Becc.

Common Names: Jelly Palm, Pindo Palm, Wine Palm.

Related Species: Yatay Palm (Butia yatay).

Origin: Jelly palms are native to central-southern Brazil and adjacent areas of Uruguay and Argentina. Today they are widely grown in many parts of the world.

DESCRIPTION

CULTURE

Location: Jelly palms do best in a sunny location but will take some shade. Wind is no problem because of their high tolerance to it.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions and have a moderate salt tolerance.

Irrigation: Jelly palms are highly drought-tolerant, but appreciate an occasional watering in summer-dry areas.

Pruning: The only pruning necessary is the removal of lower leaves as they become untidy looking.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in six months or more. Germination is faster after dry storage.

Pests and Diseases: The major pest problem is scale. Major disease or physiological problems are ganoderma, stigmina leaf spot, graphiola false smut and phytophthora bud rot.

CHILEAN WINE PALM

Jubaea chilensis Baill.

Common Names: Chilean Wine Palm, Honey Palm, Coquito Palm.

DESCRIPTION

Flowers: Sprays of tiny purple flowers are borne on once-branched, 4 foot long inflorescence bearing triads of one female and two male flowers. Pollination is by wind and various insects.

CULTURE

Location: Chilean wine palms do best in a sunny location. The trees are wind-tolerant, but their low salt tolerance make them generally unsuitable as beach palms.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms are highly drought-tolerant once they are established.

Fertilizing: Young trees benefit from an occasional light fertilizing with a complete fertilizer. Older trees generally thrive without fertilizing.

Pruning: Pruning is is seldom needs since the trees tend to drop older leaves as they begin to die.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate erratically in six months to over a year.

Pests and Diseases: The palms have no major pests, diseases or physiological problems.

CALIFORNIA FAN PALM

Washingtonia filifera H. Wendl.

Common Names: California Fan Palm, Desert Fan Palm, Petticoat Palm.

Related Species: Thread Palm, Mexican Fan Palm (Washingtonia robusta).

DESCRIPTION

Flowers: Numerous white to apricot, bisexual flowers are borne on 9-15 foot arching, branched inflorescences that hang down from among the leaves. Pollination is by wind and various insects.

Fruit: The berry-like, small fruits are brownish-black and have a thin, sweet pulp that tastes somewhat like dates or butterscotch. Each fruit contains a single seed.

CULTURE

Location: California fan palms are wind-tolerant and do best in a sunny location.

Soil: The trees are widely adaptable to most soil conditions.

Irrigation: The palms are drought-tolerant but appreciate some moisture. In native stands they always grow near springs or other moist spots.

Fertilizing: The trees respond to an occasional light fertilizing, particularly when young. Older trees seem to do well without regular fertilizing.

Pruning: Cultivated trees usually have the shag of dead leaves removed, since this can be a fire hazard as well as a home to rats and mice. Older, untidy leaves are also sometimes removed.

Propagation: Propagation is from seed, which germinate in six weeks to two months.

Pests and Diseases: Major diseases include phytophthora bud rot, pestalotiopsis and diamond scale fungus.

2005-07-18T22:03:00.000-07:00

Che

2005-07-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

Moraceae

Common Names: Che, Chinese Che, Chinese Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn.

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Mulberry (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculis africana).

Origin: The che is native to many parts of eastern Asia from the Shantung and Kiangson Provinces of China to the Nepalese sub-Himalayas. It became naturalized in Japan many years ago. In China, the leaves of the che serve as a backup food for silkworms when mulberry leaves are in short supply. The tree was introduced into England and other parts of Europe around 1872, and into the U.S. around 1930.

Adaptation: The che requires minimal care and has a tolerance of drought and poor soils similar to that of the related mulberry. It can be grown in most parts of California and other parts of the country, withstanding temperatures of -20° F.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: The deciduous trees can eventually grow to about 25 ft. in height, but often remains a broad, spreading bush or small tree if not otherwise trained when they are young. Immature wood is thorny but loses its thorns as it matures. Female trees are larger and more robust than male trees.

Foliage: The alternate leaves resemble those of the mulberry, but are smaller and thinner and pale yellowish-green in color. The typical form is distinctly trilobate, with the central lobe sometimes twice as long as the lateral ones, but frequently unlobed leaves of varied outlines are also found on the same plant. As the plant grows, the tendency seems towards larger and entire leaves, with at the most indistinct or irregular lobing. The general form of the leaves comprise many variations between oblong and lanceolate. The che leafs and blooms late in spring--after apples.

Flowers: The che is dioecious, with male and female flowers on different plants. Appearing in June, both types of flowers are green and pea-sized. The male flowers turn yellow as the pollen ripens and is released, while the wind-pollinated female flowers develop many small stigmas over the surface of the immature fruit. Male plants occasionally have a few female flowers which will set fruit.

Fruit: Like the related mulberry, the che fruit is not a berry but a collective fruit, in appearance somewhat like a round mulberry crossed with a lychee, 1 to 2 inches in diameter. The ripe fruits are an attractive red or maroon-red color with a juicy, rich red flesh inside and 3 to 6 small brown seeds per fruit. The flavor is quite unlike the vinous quality of better mulberries. While still firm they are almost tasteless, but when fully soft ripe they develop a watermelon-like flavor that can be quite delicious. The sugar content is similar to that of a ripe fig. In colder areas with early leaf drop the bright red fruit are an attractive sight dangling from smooth, leafless branches.

CULTURE

Location: Ches need a warm, sunny location. They should not be planted near sidewalks since the fallen fruit will stain. Like the mulberry, the trees are quite wind-resistant. One method of planting is to put a male and a female plant in a single site, about 1 ft. apart, and prune to a combined volume of approximately 25% male and 75% female.

Soil: The trees are relatively undemanding, but perform best in a warm, well-drained soil, ideally a deep loam.

Irrigation: Although somewhat drought-resistant, ches need to be watered in dry seasons. In summer dry California a deep watering about every two weeks is recommended. If the roots become too dry during drought, the plant may began to defoliate and the unripe fruit is likely to drop.

Fertilization: An annual application of a balanced fertilizer such as 10:10:10 NPK in late spring will maintain satisfactory growth. Nitrogen is the only element likely to be needed in California.

Pruning: The trees need regular pruning to control their shape. The branches formed the previous season should be pruned to half their length. The branchlets on the remaining part of the branches should also be trimmed about 50%. A summer pruning of the male plant is also necessary when planted in a single site with the female. To grow as a tree, in addition to pruning the lateral branches, the leading branch may also need to be staked to point it in a vertical direction. Trees grafted onto Osage orange (Maclura pomifera) rootstock tend to be more robust and grow in a more upright fashion.

Propagation: The che is readily grown from seed, although the plants can take up to 10 years to bear. Seeds should be sown as soon as extracted from the fruit. The plants are often propagated from softwood cuttings taken in midsummer and treated with rooting hormone. The che is also easily grafted to Osage orange rootstock using either a cleft or whip-and-tongue graft.

Pests and Diseases: No pests or diseases have been noted. The ripe fruit is attractive to birds, and deer will browse on both the fruit and foliage.

Harvest: Ches begin to bear at an early age and mature trees can produce as much as 400 pounds of fruit. The fruits ripen around November in California. Unlike mulberries, the ripe fruits do not separate easily from the tree and must be individually picked. It is important that the fruits be thoroughly ripe to be at their best. A darker shade of red with some blackening of the skin is a good indication of full ripeness. The fruit will keep for several days in a refrigerator in a covered dish. The fruits can be eaten out of hand or cooked in various ways. Cooking with other fruits that can contribute some tartness improves the taste. Mixing the ripe fruit in a blender and straining out the seeds yields a beautiful and delicious che "nectar".

Commercial Potential: In China and other parts of East Asia the fruit is sometimes found in local markets, but is relatively unknown commercially elsewhere. The attractive color and reasonable shelf life of the che seem to indicate that with a little effort, there could be a niche for it in farmer's markets and specialty stores. There also appears to be some demand for the fruit in Asian markets. Better selection should further increase the marketing potential of the che. A seedless fruit or one with with a bit of tartness would be a great improvement, as would earlier ripening cultivars that separate readily from the branches.

CULTIVARS

In China various selections of the che are grown, but in this country there are no known cultivars as such.

Che

2005-07-14T19:39:00.000-07:00

Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

Moraceae

Common Names: Che, Chinese Che, Chinese Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn.

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Mulberry (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculis africana).

DESCRIPTION

CULTURE

Soil: The trees are relatively undemanding, but perform best in a warm, well-drained soil, ideally a deep loam.

Pests and Diseases: No pests or diseases have been noted. The ripe fruit is attractive to birds, and deer will browse on both the fruit and foliage.

CULTIVARS

In China various selections of the che are grown, but in this country there are no known cultivars as such.

2005-07-14T03:08:00.001-07:00

TAMARILLO

2005-07-14T03:08:00.000-07:00

TAMARILLO

Che

2005-07-14T03:05:00.000-07:00

Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

Moraceae

Common Names: Che, Chinese Che, Chinese Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn.

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Mulberry (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculis africana).

DESCRIPTION

CULTURE

Soil: The trees are relatively undemanding, but perform best in a warm, well-drained soil, ideally a deep loam.

Pests and Diseases: No pests or diseases have been noted. The ripe fruit is attractive to birds, and deer will browse on both the fruit and foliage.

CULTIVARS

In China various selections of the che are grown, but in this country there are no known cultivars as such.

Che

2005-07-13T21:19:00.000-07:00

Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

Moraceae

Common Names: Che, Chinese Che, Chinese Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn.

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Mulberry (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculis africana).

DESCRIPTION

CULTURE

Soil: The trees are relatively undemanding, but perform best in a warm, well-drained soil, ideally a deep loam.

Pests and Diseases: No pests or diseases have been noted. The ripe fruit is attractive to birds, and deer will browse on both the fruit and foliage.

CULTIVARS

In China various selections of the che are grown, but in this country there are no known cultivars as such.

2005-07-13T21:18:00.000-07:00

Ramarillo

2005-07-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T19:36:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T19:35:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T19:33:00.002-07:00

TAMARILLO

2005-07-13T19:33:00.001-07:00

TAMARILLO

2005-07-13T19:33:00.000-07:00

TAMARILLO

2005-07-13T03:19:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:18:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

Che

2005-07-13T03:17:00.000-07:00

Cudrania tricuspidata Bur. ex Lavallee

Moraceae

Common Names: Che, Chinese Che, Chinese Mulberry, Cudrang, Mandarin Melon Berry, Silkworm Thorn.

Distant Affinity: Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis), Jackfruit (A. heterophyllus), Fig (Ficus spp.), Mulberry (Morus spp.), African Breadfruit (Treculis africana).

DESCRIPTION

CULTURE

Soil: The trees are relatively undemanding, but perform best in a warm, well-drained soil, ideally a deep loam.

Pests and Diseases: No pests or diseases have been noted. The ripe fruit is attractive to birds, and deer will browse on both the fruit and foliage.

CULTIVARS

In China various selections of the che are grown, but in this country there are no known cultivars as such.

2005-07-13T03:14:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:10:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:09:00.000-07:00

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:08:00.000-07:00

Cyphomandra betacea Sent.

Solanaceae

Common Name: Tamarillo, Tree Tomato, Arbol de Tomate.

Related Species: Casana (Cyphomandra casana), Mountain Tomato (C. crassifolia), Guava Tamarillo (C. fragrans).

Distant Affinity: Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopsersicum), Mexican Husk Tomato, Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa), Cape Gooseberry (P. peruviana), Pepino Dulce (Solanum muricatum), Naranjilla (S. quitoense), Cocona (S. sessiliflorum).

Origin: The tamarillo is generally believed to be native to the Andes of Peru and probably also, Chile, Ecuador and Bolivia. It is cultivated and naturalized in Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Venezuela. It is widely grown in New Zealand as a commercial crop. Seed from Argentina were imported by the U.S.Dept. of Agriculture in 1913 and a plant was fruiting at the Plant Introduction Station at Chico, Calif. in 1915.

Adaptation: The tamarillo is a subtropical rather than tropical and flourishes between 5,000 and 10,000 ft. in its Andean homeland. In cooler climates it succeeds at lower elevations, but does best where the temperature remains above 50° F. The plant is grown casually in California and occasionally in Florida. Tamarillos have been successfully grown in such northern California locations as San Rafael and Santa Rosa. Frost at 28° F kills small branches and foliage of mature trees but not the largest branches and main stem. The tree will recover if such frosts are not prolonged or frequent. However, seedlings and cuttings are readily killed by frost during their first year.

Protection from wind is necessary as the tree is shallow rooted and easily blown over. It is also brittle and its branches are easily broken by gusts, especially when laden with fruit. Tamarillos have been grown as housesplants for years. They fruit satisfactorily in northern greenhouses.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: The tamarillo is a small, attractive, half-woody, evergreen or partially deciduous, shrub or small tree. It is also brittle and shallow-rooted, growing to a height of 10 to 18 ft. (rarely as much as 25 ft.).

Foliage: The alternate, evergreen leaves are muskily odorous and more or less heart-shaped at the base and ovate, pointed at the apex. They are 4 to 13-1/2 inches long and 1-1/2 to 4-3/4 inches broad, thin, softly hairy, with conspicuous veins. The leaves are fairly easily tattered by strong winds.

Flowers: The fragrant 1/2 to 3/4 inch flowers are borne in small, loose clusters near the branch tips. They have 5 pale pink or lavender, pointed lobes, 5 prominent yellow stamens and green-purple calyx. Tamarillo flowers are normally self-pollinating. If wind is completely cut off so as not to stir branches, this may adversely affect pollination unless there are bees to transfer the pollen. Unpollinated flowers will drop prematurely. Flowers are usually borne in late summer or fall, but may appear at any time.

Fruit: The long-stalked, dangling fruit, borne singly or in clusters of 3 to 12, is smooth egg-shaped but pointed at both ends. It ranges in size from 2 to 4 inches long and 1-1/2 to 2 inches in width. Skin color may be solid deep purple, blood red, orange or yellow, or red and yellow, and may have faint dark longitudinal stripes. Flesh color varies accordingly from orange-red or orange to yellow or cream-yellow. While the skin is somewhat tough and unpleasant in flavor, the outer layer of the flesh is slightly firm, succulent and bland, and the pulp surrounding the seed in two lengthwise compartments is soft, juicy, and sweet/tart. The yellow types are usually a little sweeter. The pulp is black in dark purple and red fruits and yellow in yellow and orange fruits. The edible seeds are thin, nearly flat, circular, larger and harder than those of the true tomato.

2005-07-13T03:07:00.000-07:00

tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:06:00.000-07:00

tamarillo

Tamarillo

2005-07-13T03:05:00.000-07:00

CULTURE

Location: The tamarillo is small enough and attractive enough to fit into many parts of the home landscape as long as the site is well-drained. They grow best in full sun except in hot, dry situations, where partial shade is better. They need protection from strong winds.

Soil: Tamarillos require a fertile, light soil that is rich in organic matter. Perfect drainage is also necessary. Water standing for even a few days may kill the plant. Because of the shallow root system, deep cultivation is not possible, but light cultivation to eliminate weeds is acceptable.

Irrigation: The plant cannot tolerate prolonged drought and must have ample water during dry periods. A mulch is very beneficial in conserving moisture at such times.

Fertilization: Recommended fertilizer applications is 0.5 to 2 lbs. per tree of 5:6:6 NPK. Half of this should be applied in early spring and the other half in midsummer. A late winter application of superposphate every other year at the rate of 0.5 lb. per tree is also beneficial.

Pruning: Newly planted tamarillos should be pruned to a height of 3 to 4 ft. to encourage branching. Yearly pruning thereafter is advisable to eliminate branches that have already fruited and to induce ample new shoots close to the main branches, since fruit is produced on new growth. Pruning also aids in harvesting, and if timed properly can extend the total fruiting period.

Frost Protection: Although tamarillos can tolerate a few degrees of frost, they do best (and look their best) under frost-free conditions. In areas where frost may be a problem, providing them with some overhead protection or planting them next to a wall or a building may be sufficient. The smallish plants are also fairly easy to cover during cold snaps by placing carpeting, plastic sheeting, etc. over a frame around them. Potted specimens can be moved to a frost-secure area.

Propagation: Seeds and cuttings may be used for propagation. Seeds product a high-branched, erect tree, while cuttings develop into a shorter, bushy plant with low-lying branches. The tree does not always come true from seed, but is most likely to if one is careful to take seed from red fruits with black seed pulp or yellow fruits with yellow seed pulp. Germination is accelerated by placing washed and dried seed in a freezer for 24 hours before planting out. Cuttings should be of 1 to 2 year-old wood 3/8 to l inch thick and 18 to 30 inches long. The leaves are removed and the base cut square below a node. Cuttings can be planted directly in the ground, but should not be permitted to fruit the first year.

Pest and Diseases: The tamarillo is generally regarded as pest-resistant, although they are occasionally attacked by green aphids, and fruit flies will attack the fruit in areas where that is a problem. Nematodes are also a potential problem. The principal disease is powdery mildew, which may cause serious defoliation if not controlled. The plant is noted for its resistance to tobacco mosaic virus, though it is susceptible to cucumber mosaic virus and potato virus. Die-back, of unknown origin, at times is lethal to the flowers, fruit cluster, twigs and new shoots. Potted plants grown inside should be watched for the common house plant pests, such as mealybugs, cottony scale and white flies.

Harvest: Tamarillos are ready to harvest when they develop the yellow or red color characteristic of the particular variety. To harvest, simply pull the fruit from the tree with a snapping motion, leaving the stem attached. The fruit can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 10 weeks, but temperatures below 38° F can cause the skin to discolor. Ripe tamarillos may be merely cut in half lengthwise, sprinkled with sugar (and chilled if you like) and served for eating by scooping out the flesh and pulp. The fruit should not be cut on a wooden or other permeable surface, as the juice will make an indelible stain. For other purposes, the skin must be removed, which is easily done by pouring boiling water over the fruit and letting it stand for 4 minutes before peeling.

CULTIVARS

Ecuadorian Orange

Fruit is medium orange in color, the size of a large hen's egg. Pulp light orange, creamy in texture, less acid than the Ruby Red. Excellent for eating out of hand and also suited for culinary purposes.

Goldmine

A superior cultivar originating in New Zealand and recently introduced. Very large golden-yellow fruit with golden, highly flavored flesh, less bland than Solid Gold, but not acidic. Has superb earing qualities.

Inca Gold

A yellow-fruited cultivar said to be less acid than the red types. When cooked the fruit is said to resemble the apricot in flavor.

Oratia Red

A large fruited red cultivar, oval to rounded in shape, with a sharp acid flavor. Good quality for eating out of hand and excellent for jams and preserves.

Rothamer

Unusual large fruit, over 3 ounces. Skin bright red. Flesh golden-yellow, flavor sweet and exotic. Seeds dark red. Ripen from December to April. Delicious eaten out of hand. Vigorous and heavy bearing plant. Originated in San Rafael, Calif.

Ruby Red

Large, brilliant red fruit. Pulp dark red, tart and flavorful. Fair for eating out of hand, but very good for culinary use. If allowed to ripen for one to three weeks after picking, they will become less acid. The standard cultivar grown for export in New Zealand.

Solid Gold

Large, oval shaped fruit. Skin golden-orange in color. Pulp soft, less acidic in flavor than Oratia Red. Very good for eating out of hand, with acceptable culinary qualities.

Yellow

Fruits the size and shape of a large plum. Skin yellowish orange. Flesh yellow, with a milder flavor than the red types. The yellow form is the oldest in cultivation in New Zealand.

2005-07-13T03:04:00.001-07:00

Pomegranate

2005-07-13T03:04:00.000-07:00

Pomegranate

2005-07-13T03:03:00.000-07:00

Pomegranate

2005-07-13T02:12:00.000-07:00

Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

Common Names: Pomegranate, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

Related Species: Punica proto-punica.

Origin: The pomegranate is native from Iran to the Himalayas in northern India and was cultivated and naturalized over the whole Mediterranean region since ancient times. It is widely cultivated throughout India and the drier parts of southeast Asia, Malaya, the East Indies and tropical Africa. The tree was introduced into California by Spanish settlers in 1769. In this country it is grown for its fruits mainly in the drier parts of California and Arizona.

Adaptation: Pomegranates prefer a semi-arid mild-temperate to subtropical climate and are naturally adapted to regions with cool winters and hot summers. A humid climate adversely affects the formation of fruit. The tree can be severely injured by temperatures below 12° F. In the U. S. pomegranates can be grown outside as far north as southern Utah and Washington, D.C. but seldom set fruit in these areas. The tree adapts well to container culture and will sometimes fruit in a greenhouse.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The pomegranate is a neat, rounded shrub or small tree that can grow to 20 or 30 ft., but more typically to 12 to 16 ft. in height. Dwarf varieties are also known. It is usually deciduous, but in certain areas the leaves will persist on the tree. The trunk is covered by a red-brown bark which later becomes gray. The branches are stiff, angular and often spiny. There is a strong tendency to sucker from the base. Pomegranates are also long-lived. There are specimens in Europe that are known to be over 200 years of age. The vigor of a pomegranate declines after about 15 years, however.

Foliage: The pomegranate has glossy, leathery leaves that are narrow and lance-shaped.

Flowers: The attractive scarlet, white or variegated flowers are over an inch across and have 5 to 8 crumpled petals and a red, fleshy, tubular calyx which persists on the fruit. The flowers may be solitary or grouped in twos and threes at the ends of the branches. The pomegranate is self-pollinated as well as cross-pollinated by insects. Cross-pollination increases the fruit set. Wind pollination is insignificant.

Fruit: The nearly round, 2-1/2 to 5 in. wide fruit is crowned at the base by the prominent calyx. The tough, leathery skin or rind is typically yellow overlaid with light or deep pink or rich red. The interior is separated by membranous walls and white, spongy, bitter tissue into compartments packed with sacs filled with sweetly acid, juicy, red, pink or whitish pulp or aril. In each sac there is one angular, soft or hard seed. High temperatures are essential during the fruiting period to get the best flavor. The pomegranate may begin to bear in 1 year after planting out, but 2-1/2 to 3 years is more common. Under suitable conditions the fruit should mature some 5 to 7 months after bloom.

Pomegranate

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Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

Common Names: Pomegranate, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

Related Species: Punica proto-punica.

DESCRIPTION

Foliage: The pomegranate has glossy, leathery leaves that are narrow and lance-shaped.

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Pomegranate

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Pomegranate

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Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

Common Names: Pomegranate, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

Related Species: Punica proto-punica.

DESCRIPTION

Foliage: The pomegranate has glossy, leathery leaves that are narrow and lance-shaped.

Pomegranate

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Punica granatum L.

Punicaceae

Common Names: Pomegranate, Granada (Spanish), Grenade (French).

Related Species: Punica proto-punica.

DESCRIPTION

Foliage: The pomegranate has glossy, leathery leaves that are narrow and lance-shaped.

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Pomegranate

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Pomegranate

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Pomegranate Plant

Pomegranate

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CULTURE

Location: Pomegranates should be placed in the sunniest, warmest part of the yard or orchard for the best fruit, although they will grow and flower in part shade. The attractive foliage, flowers and fruits of the pomegranate, as well as its smallish size make it a excellent landscaping plant.

Soil: The pomegranate does best in well-drained ordinary soil, but also thrives on calcareous or acidic loam as well as rock strewn gravel.

Irrigation: Once established, pomegranates can take considerable drought, but for good fruit production they must be irrigated. To establish new plants they should be watered every 2 to 4 weeks during the dry season. The plants are tolerant of moderately saline water and soil conditions.

Fertilizing: In the West, the trees are given 2 to 4-ounce applications of ammonium sulfate or other nitrogen fertilizer the first two springs. After that very little fertilizer is needed, although the plants respond to an annual mulch of rotted manure or other compost.

Pruning: Plants should be cut back when they are about 2 ft. high. From this point allow 4 or 5 shoots to develop, which should be evenly distributed around the stem to keep the plant well balanced. These should start about 1 ft. from the ground, giving a short but well-defined trunk. Any shoots which appear above or below should be removed as should any suckers. Since the fruits are borne only at the tips of new growth, it is recommended that for the first 3 years the branches be judiciously shortened annually to encourage the maximum number of new shoots on all sides, prevent straggly development and achieve a strong well framed plant. After the 3rd year, only suckers and dead branches are removed.

Propagation: The pomegranate can be raised from seed but may not come true. Cuttings root easily and plants from them bear fruit after about 3 years. Twelve to 20 inches long cuttings should be taken in winter from mature, one-year old wood. The leaves should be removed and the cuttings treated with rooting hormone and inserted about two-thirds their length into the soil or into some other warm rooting medium. Plants can also be air-layered but grafting is seldom successful.

Pests and Diseases: Pomegranates are relatively free of most pests and diseases. Minor problems are leaf and fruit spot and foliar damage by white flies, thrips, mealybugs and scale insects. The roots are seldom bothered by gophers but deer will browse on the foliage.

Harvest: The fruits are ripe when they have developed a distinctive color and make a metallic sound when tapped. The fruits must be picked before over maturity when they tend to crack open, particularly when rained on. The pomegranate is equal to the apple in having a long storage life. It is best maintained at a temperature of 32° to 41° F. and can be kept for a period of 7 months within this temperature range and at 80 to 85% relative humidity without shrinking or spoiling. The fruits improve in storage, becoming juicier and more flavorful.

The fruit can be eaten out of hand by deeply scoring several times vertically and then breaking it apart. The clusters of juice sacs are then lifted out and eaten. The sacs also make an attractive garnish when sprinkled on various dishes. Pomegranate fruits are most often consumed as juice and can be juiced is several ways. The sacs can be removed and put through a basket press or the juice can be extracted by reaming the halved fruits on an ordinary orange juice squeezer. Another approach starts with warming the fruit slightly and rolling it between the hands to soften the interior. A hole is then cut in the stem end which is placed on a glass to let the juice run out, squeezing the fruit from time to time to get all the juice. The juice can be used in a variety of of ways: as a fresh juice, to make jellies, sorbets or cold or hot sauces as well as to flavor cakes, baked apples, etc. Pomegranate syrup is sold commercially as grenadine. The juice can also be made into a wine.

Commercial Potential: The primary commercial growing regions of the world are the Near East, India and surrounding countries and southern Europe. In California commercial cultivation is centered in the southern San Joaquin Valley. Consumer demand in this country is not great. More pomegranate fruits probably wind up as decorations in fruit bowls than are consumed.

CULTIVARS

Balegal

Originated in San Diego, Calif. Selected by Paul H. Thomson. Large, roundish fruit, 3 inches in diameter. Somewhat larger than Fleshman. Skin pale pink, lighter then Fleshman. Flesh slightly darker than Fleshman, very sweet.

Cloud

From the Univ. of Calif., Davis pomegranate collection. Medium-sized fruit with a green-red color. Juice sweet and white.

Crab

From the Univ. of Calif., Davis pomegranate collection. Large fruit have red juice that is tart but with a rich flavor. A heavy bearing tree.

Early Wonderful

Large, deep-red, thin-skinned, delicious fruit. Ripens about 2 weeks ahead of Wonderful. Medium-sized bush with large, orange-red fertile flowers. Blooms late, very productive.

Fleshman

Originated in Fallbrook, Calif. Selected by Paul H. Thomson. Large, roundish fruit, about 3 inches in diameter, pink outside and in. Very sweet flavor, seeds relatively soft, quality very good.

Francis

Originated in Jamaica via Florida. Large, sweet, split-resistant fruit. Prolific producer.

Granada

Originated in Lindsay, Calif. Introduced in 1966. Bud mutation of Wonderful. Fruit resembles Wonderful, but displays a red crown while in the green state, darker red in color and less tart. Ripens one month earlier than Wonderful. Flowers also deeper red. Tree identical to Wonderful.

Green Globe

Originated in Camarillo, Calif. Selected by John Chater. Large, sweet, aromatic, green-skinned fruit. Excellent quality.

Home

From the Univ. of Calif., Davis pomegranate collection. The fruit is variable yellow-red in color, with light pink juice that is sweet and of rich flavor. Some bitterness.

King

From the Univ. of Calif., Davis pomegranate collection. Medium to large fruit, somewhat smaller than Balegal and Fleshman. Skin darker pink to red. Flavor very sweet. Has a tendency to split. Bush somewhat of a shy bearer.

Phoenicia (Fenecia)

Originated in Camarillo, Calif. Selected by John Chater. Large fruit, 4-5 inches in diameter, mottled red-green skin. Flavor sweet, seeds relatively hard.

Sweet

Fruit is lighter in color than Wonderful, remains slightly greenish with a red blush when ripe. Pink juice, flavor much sweeter than other cultivars. Excellent in fruit punch. Trees highly ornamental, bears at an early age, productive.

Utah Sweet

Very sweet, good quality fruit. Pink skin and pulp. Seeds notably softer than those of Wonderful and other standard cultivars. Attractive pinkish-orange flowers.

Wonderful

Originated in Florida. First propagated in California in 1896. Large, deep purple-red fruit. Rind medium thick, tough. Flesh deep crimson in color, juicy and of a delicious vinous flavor. Seeds not very hard. Better for juicing than for eating out of hand. Plant is vigorous and productive. Leading commercial variety in California.

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Pistachio

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Pistachio

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Pistachio

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Pistacia vera L.

Anacardiaceae

Common Names: Pistachio, Pistache.

Related Species: Mt. Atlas Pistache (Pistacia atlantica), Chinese Pistache (P. chinesis), Terebinth Pistache (P. terebinthus)

Distant Affinity: Cashew (Anacardium occidentale), Mango (Mangifera indica), Ambarella (Spondias cytherea), Yellow Mombin (Spondias mombin), Red Mombin (Spondias purpurea), Imbu (Spondias tuberosa) and others.

Origin: The pistachio tree is native to western Asia and Asia Minor,from Syria to the Caucasus and Afghanistan. Archaeological evidence in Turkey indicate the nuts were being used for food as early as 7,000 B.C. The pistachio was introduced to Italy from Syria early in the first century A.D. Subsequently its cultivation spread to other Mediterranean countries. The tree was first introduced into the United States in 1854 by Charles Mason, who distributed seed for experimental plantings in California, Texas and some southern states. In 1875 a few small pistachio trees, imported from France were planted in Sonoma, Calif. In the early 1900's the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture assembled a collection of Pistacia species and pistachio nut varieties at the Plant Introduction Station in Chico, Calif. Commercial production of pistachio nuts began in the late 1970's and rapidly expanded to a major operation in the San Joaquin Valley. Other major pistachio producing areas are Iran and Turkey and to a lesser extent, Syria, India, Greece, Pakistan and elsewhere.

Adaptation: Pistachios thrive in areas which have winters cool enough to break bud dormancy and hot, long summers. They are drought resistant and very tolerant of high summer temperatures, but cannot tolerate excessive dampness and high humidity. The tree has about the same cold resistance as almonds and olives but flowers later in spring than almonds. Chill requirements are estimated at 600 to 1,500 hours. In this country the pistachio is best adapted to the hot, drier regions of California and the Southwest, especially California's central valley and southern California inland areas. Pistachio trees are not particularly suitable as container plants.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habits: The pistachio is a broad, bushy, deciduous tree which grows slowly to a height and spread of 25 to 30 feet, with one or several trunks. The trees are inclined to spread and droop, and may initially need staking. Their open habit and attractive foliage make them valuable ornamentals. Under favorable conditions pistachio trees live and produce for centuries.

Foliage: The large, grayish leaves have 3 to 5 roundish, 2 to 4 inch-long leaflets.

Flowers: Pistachios are dioecious with male and female flowers on separate trees. Male and female trees must be present for fruit to set, or a branch from a male tree may be grafted on a female tree. The small, brownish green flowers are without petals and borne on axillary racemes or panicles in early summer. Wind carries the pollen from the male to the female flowers.

Fruit: The reddish, wrinkled fruits are borne in heavy clusters somewhat like grapes. Although known as a nut, the fruit of the pistachio is botanically a drupe, the edible portion of which is the seed. The oblong kernel is about 1 inch in length and 1/2 inch in diameter and protected by a thin, ivory-colored, bony shell. Normally the shells split longitudinally along their sutures when mature. Under unfavorable conditions during nut growth, the shells may not split open. The color of the kernel varies from yellowish through shades of green, which extends throughout the kernel. In general the deeper the shade of green, the more the nuts are esteemed. Pistachio nuts are rich in oil, with an average content of about 55%. The trees begin bearing in 5 to 8 years, but full bearing is not attained until the 15th or 20th year. Pistachios tend toward biennial bearing, producing heavy crop one year followed by little or none the next. Production of nuts is also influenced by drought, excessive rain, heat or cold and high winds.

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Pistachio

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Pistachio

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CULTURE

Location: Pistachios should be planted in full sun. The size of the slow growing trees can be further controlled by pruning. When planting, avoid rough handling since the budded tops are easily broken away from the understock.

Soil: The trees do best on soils that are deep, friable and well drained but moisture retaining. It can, however, survive in poor, stony, calcareous, highly alkaline or slightly acid, or even saline soils. The root is deeply penetrating.

Irrigation: Pistachios will tolerate considerable drought but do best with deep, infrequent waterings.

Fertilization: Since pistachios grow slowly, they do not require large quantities of nitrogen fertilizer. A spring feeding of a complete fertilizer such as 10-10-10 NPK should be adequate.

Pruning: Pruning can be important to commercial growers in order to shape the trees for mechanical harvesting, but less so for the home orchardist. The trees should be trained to a modified central leader with 4 or 5 main scaffold limbs branching about 4 ft. from the ground. After initial training, little pruning is needed except to remove interfering branches. Heavy pruning reduces yield.

Propagation: The pistachio is usually propagated in California by budding or grafting selected scions onto seedling stocks of P. atlantica, P. terebinthus and P. integerrima. These rootstock species are used because of their vigor and resistance to nematodes and soil borne fungi.

Pests and Diseases: A number of fungi attack the pistachio. The most serious fungal disease in California is Verticillium wilt, which can quickly kill trees of varying age. Most pistachios are now grafted to Verticillium resistant P. integerrima rootstock. The trees are also sensitive to the oak root fungus, Armillaria mellea. Insect pests include the aphid, Anapleura lentisci and several species of leaf-footed bugs and stink bugs. The nuts are also very attractive to squirrels and some birds, including bluejays and woodpeckers.

Harvest: The nuts are harvested when the husk or hull covering the shell becomes fairly loose. A single shaking will bring down the bulk of the matured nuts, which can be caught on a tarp or canvas. A fully mature tree may produce as much as 50 pounds of dry, hulled nuts. The hulls should be removed soon after to prevent staining of the shells. To enhance splitting, the hulled nuts may then be dipped into water to moisten the shell and spread out in the sun to dry. One method of salting the split nuts is to boil them in a salt solution for a few minutes, then redry and store them. Stored in plastic bags pistachios will last for at least 4 to 6 weeks in the refrigerator. Frozen they will last for months.

The pistachio is unique in the nut trade due to its semi-split shell which enables the processor to roast and salt the kernel without removing the shell, and which at the same time serves as a convenient form of packaging. About 90% of California pistachios are consumed as in-shell snacks. Shelled pistachios are utilized commercially in confectionery, ice cream, candies, sausages, bakery goods and flavoring for puddings. They can also be added to dressings, casseroles and other dishes.

Commercial Potential: Pistachio nuts are considered one of the prime edible nuts, along with almonds, macadamias and cashews. The production of pistachio nuts in California has increased dramatically in recent years, from some 4-1/2 million pounds in 1977 to over 80 million today. With additional promotion, production is estimated to ultimately exceed 129 million pounds.

CULTIVARS

Many varieties of pistachio have been developed, because the crop has been grown for several thousands of years. In California some 13 cultivars have been tested, including Kerman, Ibrahmim, Owhadi, Safeed, Shasti and Wahedi (largest nuts of any cultivar). The first nut bearing cultivars tested at Chico, Calif. were Bronte, Buenzle, Minassian, Red Aleppo, Sfax and Trabonella. Kerman is liked by importers and processors for its size, crispness and snap when eaten. A sister seedling of Kerman, Lassen, also produces good quality large-sized nuts. The standard male cultivar is Peters. The Kerman and Peters cultivars are more fully described below.

Kerman

Female. Nut above average in size. Shells split well, are easily opened by hand. Kernel size above average, of high quality, readily shaken or knocked from tree when ripe. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading. Blooms late, produces heavily but biennially. By far the leading commercial cultivar in the U.S. Originated in Chico, Calif. from seeds imported from Iran.

Peters

Male. Good producer of pollen, its blossoming coinciding with early blossoming cultivars, as well as the later blooming Kerman. Has a tendency to be a loppy, weak grower, especially when propagated on P. vera roots. Originated in Fresno, Calif. by A. B. Peters.

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Persimmon

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Persimmon

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Diospyros kaki Linn

Ebenaceae

Common Names: Persimmon, Oriental Persimmon, Japanese Persimmon, Kaki.

Related species: Black Sapote (Diospyros digyna), Mabolo, Velvet Apple (D. discolor), Date Plum (D. lotus), Texas Persimmon (D. texana), American Persimmon (D. virginiana).

Origin: The oriental persimmon is native to China, where it has been cultivated for centuries and more than two thousand different cultivars exist. It spread to Korea and Japan many years ago where additional cultivars were developed. The plant was introduced to California in the mid 1800's.

Adaptation: Persimmons do best in areas that have moderate winters and relatively mild summers--suitable for growing in USDA Hardiness Zones 7 to 10. It can tolerate temperatures of 0° F when fully dormant. However, because of its low chilling requirement (less than 100 hours), it may break dormancy during early warm spells only to be damaged by spring frosts later. The leaves are killed by 26° F when growing. Trees do not produce well in the high summer heat of desert regions, which may also sunburn the bark.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: The persimmon is a multitrunked or single-stemmed deciduous tree to 25 ft. high and at least as wide. It is a handsome ornamental with drooping leaves and branches that give it a languid, rather tropical appearance. The branches are somewhat brittle and can be damaged in high winds.

Foliage: Persimmon leaves are alternate, simple, ovate and up to 7 inches long and 4 inches wide. They are often pale, slightly yellowish green in youth, turning a dark, glossy green as they age. Under mild autumn conditions the leaves often turn dramatic shades of yellow, orange and red. Tea can also be made from fresh or dried leaves.

Flowers: The inconspicuous flowers surrounded by a green calyx tube are borne in the leaf axils of new growth from one-year old wood. Female flowers are single and cream-colored while the pink-tinged male flowers are typically borne in threes. Commonly, 1 to 5 flowers per twig emerge as the new growth extends (typically March). Persimmon trees are usually either male or female, but some trees have both male and female flowers. On male plants, especially, occasional perfect (bisexual) flowers occur, producing an atypical fruit. A tree's sexual expression can vary from one year to the other. Many cultivars are parthenocarpic (setting seedless fruit without pollination), although some climates require pollination for adequate production. When plants not needing pollination are pollinated, they will produce fruits with seeds and may be larger and have a different flavor and texture than do their seedless counterparts.

Fruit: Persimmons can be classified into two general categories: those that bear astringent fruit until they are soft ripe and those that bear nonastringent fruits. Within each of these categories, there are cultivars whose fruits are influenced by pollination (pollination variant) and cultivars whose fruits are unaffected by pollination (pollination constant). Actually, it is the seeds, not pollination per se, that influences the fruit. An astringent cultivar must be jelly soft before it is fit to eat, and such cultivars are best adapted to cooler regions where persimmons can be grown. The flesh color of pollination-constant astringent cultivars is not influenced by pollination. Pollination-variant astringent cultivars have dark flesh around the seeds when pollinated. A nonastringent persimmon can be eaten when it is crisp as an apple. These cultivars need hot summers, and the fruit might retain some astringency when grown in cooler regions. Pollination-constant nonastringent (PCNA) persimmons are always edible when still firm; pollination-variant nonastringent (PVNA) fruit are edible when firm only if they have been pollinated.

The shape of the fruit varies by cultivar from spherical to acorn to flattened or squarish. The color of the fruit varies from light yellow-orange to dark orange-red. The size can be as little as a few ounces to more than a pound. The entire fruit is edible except for the seed and calyx. Alternate bearing is common. This can be partially overcome by thinning the fruit or moderately pruning after a light-crop year. Astringency can also be removed by treating with carbon dioxide or alcohol. Freezing the fruit overnight and then thawing softens the fruit and also removes the astringency. Unharvested fruit remaining on the tree after leaf fall creates a very decorative effect. It is common for many immature fruit to drop from May to September

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Persimmon

2005-07-12T04:19:00.000-07:00

Persimmon

2005-07-12T04:17:00.000-07:00

CULTURE

Location: Full sun with some air movement is recommended for persimmon trees in inland areas, although they will tolerate some partial shade. Persimmons grown in cooler areas should have full sun with protection from cooling breezes. As an attractive ornamental the tree fits well in the landscape. It does not compete well with eucalyptus.

Soil: Persimmons can withstand a wide rage of conditions as long as the soil is not overly salty, but does best in deep, well drained loam. A pH range of 6.5 to 7.5 is preferred. The tree has a strong tap root which may mean digging a deeper hole than usual when planting (when on D. kaki stock).

Irrigation: Persimmon trees will withstand short periods of drought, but the fruit will be larger and of higher quality with regular watering. Extreme drought will cause the leaves and fruit to drop prematurely. Any fruit left on the tree will probably sunburn. Some 36 to 48 inches of water are needed annually, applied gradually in spring and tapering off in the fall. Hot inland areas may require 2 or 3 applications weekly, while coastal areas may need watering only once every 6 weeks, depending on the soil. If a drip system is is used, the emitters should be moved away from the trunk as the tree matures.

Fertilization: Most trees do well with a minimum of fertilizing. Excess nitrogen can cause fruit drop. If mature leaves are not deep green and shoot growth is less than a foot per year, apply a balanced fertilizer such as a 10-10-10 at a rate of l pound per inch of trunk diameter at ground level. Spread the fertilizer evenly under the canopy in late winter or early spring.

Pruning: Prune persimmon trees to develop a strong framework of main branches while the tree is young. Otherwise the fruit, which is borne at the tips of the branches, may be too heavy and cause breakage. A regular program of removal of some new growth and heading others each year will improve structure and reduce alternate bearing. An open vase system is probably best. Even though the trees grow well on their own, persimmons can be pruned heavily as a hedge, as a screen, or to control size. They even make a nice espalier. Cut young trees back to 1/2 high (or about 3 feet) at the time of planting.

Propagation: Stratification is recommended for all persimmon seeds. The common rootstock in California is D. lotus, although it is not compatible with some cultivars, including fuyu. Other rootstock such as D. kaki seedlings are temperamental and have long tap roots. D. virginiana is inconsistent and suckers badly. Whip and cleft grafts are the ones commonly used. The trunks of young trees should be protected from sunburn and rodent damage.

Pests and Diseases: Persimmons are relatively problem-free, although mealybug and scale in association with ants can sometimes cause problems. Ant control will usually take care of these pests. Other occasional pests include white flies, thrips which can cause skin blemishes and a mite that is blamed for the "brown lace collar" near the calyx. Waterlogging can also cause root rot. Vertebrate pests such as squirrels, deer, coyotes, rats, opossums and birds are fond of the fruit and gophers will attack the roots. Other problems include blossom and young fruit shedding, especially on young trees. This is not usually a serious problem, but if the drop is excessive, it may be useful to try girdling a few branches. Over watering or over fertilization may also be responsible. Large quantities of small fruit on an otherwise healthy tree can be remedied by removing all but one or two fruit per twig in May or June.

Harvest: Harvest astringent varieties when they are hard but fully colored. They will soften on the tree and improve in quality, but you will probably lose many fruit to the birds. Astringent persimmons will ripen off the tree if stored at room temperature. Nonastringent persimmons are ready to harvest when they are fully colored, but for best flavor, allow them to soften slightly after harvest. Both kinds of persimmons should be cut from the tree with hand-held pruning shears, leaving the calyx intact Unless the fruit is to be used for drying whole, the stems should be cut as close to the fruit as possible. Even though the fruit is relatively hard when harvested, it will bruise easily, so handle with care.

Mature, hard astringent persimmons can be stored in the refrigerator for at least a month. They can also be frozen for 6 to 8 months. Nonastringent persimmons can be stored for a short period at room temperature. They will soften if kept with other fruit in the refrigerator. Persimmons also make an excellent dried fruit. They can either be peeled and dried whole or cut into slices (peeled or unpeeled) and dried that way. When firm astringent persimmons are peeled and dried whole they lose all their astringency and develop a sweet, datelike consistency.

Commercial Potential: Persimmons are found in most supermarkets during the season, but there is not a large demand outside ethnic markets. It would appear that there is a potential as a major crop if and when the market is developed.

CULTIVARS

There has been a great deal of confusion and misidentification among persimmon cultivars. The following list is subject to revision as better analysis techniques become available.

Astringent Varieties

Eureka

Medium to large oblate fruit, puckered at the calyx. Skin bright orange-red. Good quality. Ripens late. Tree small, vigorous,drought and frost resistant, precocious and heavy-bearing. One of the most satisfactory cultivars for Florida and Texas

Hachiya

Large, oblong-conical fruit Skin glossy, deep orange. Flesh dark yellow. Sweet and rich. Good for drying. Ripens midseason to late. Tree vigorous, upright-spreading. Prolific in California.

Honan Red

Small, roundish oblate fruit with thin skin. Skin and flesh ripen to a distinct orange-red. Very sweet and rich. Excellent for fresh eating and drying. Ripens midseason to late. Tall, upright, moderately vigorous tree. Bears good crop.

Saijo

Small, elongated fruit. Skin dull-yellow when mature. Flavor sweet, excellent, ranked among the best by gourmets. Mature fruits are attractive when dried. Tree medium in height, bears consistently. Cold hardy to -10° F.

Tamopan

Large, somewhat four-sided fruit, broad-oblate and indented around the middle. Skin thick, orange-red. Flesh light orange, sweet and rich when fully ripe. Ripens midseason in California

Tanenashi

Medium-sized round-conical fruits. Skin light yellow or orange, turning orange-red, thick. Flesh yellow, sweet. Ripens early. Tree vigorous, rounded, prolific. In California tends to bear in alternate years.

Triumph

Sold as Sharon Fruit after astringency has been chemically removed. Medium-sized, oblate fruits. Ripens in October.

Nonastringent Varieties

Fuyu (Fuyugaki)

Medium-large oblate fruit, faintly four-sided. Skin deep orange. Flesh light orange, sweet and mild. Ripens late. Keeps well and is an excellent packer and shipper. Tree vigorous, spreading, productive. Most popular nonastringent cultivar in Japan.

Gosho/Giant Fuyu/O'Gosho

Large, roundish-oblate fruit. Skin reddish orange, attractive. When fully ripe has one of the deepest red colors of any persimmon. Flesh quality good, sweeter than Fuyu. Ripens in late October. Tree somewhat dwarf. Bears regularly but sets a light crop in some seasons and is prone to premature shedding of fruit.

Imoto

Similar to Jiro. Reddish brown skin. Occasional male flowers and seeds. Probably a bud mutation of Jiro. Ripens late October and early November

Izu

Medium-sized fruit. Skin burnt orange. Flesh soft, with a good amount of syrup, of fine texture. Flavor very good. Not reliably nonastringent. Ripens early, from the end of September to mid-October. Tree somewhat dwarf. Bears only female flowers. Sets good crop.

Jiro

Fruit large. Resembles Fuyu, but more truncated and squarish in cross-section. Skin orange-red. Flavor and quality excellent. Ripens late October and early November, ships well. Often sold as Fuyu. Tree slightly upright. Most popular nonastringent variety in California.

Maekawajiro

Medium-sized, rounded fruit, smoother and less indented than Jiro. Rich orange in color. Sweet and of good quality. Ripens in mid-season. Tree slightly upright. Must be planted with a suitable pollinator to ensure good fruit yield. Bud mutation of Jiro.

Okugosho

Medium-sized, round fruit. Skin orange to deep red. Flesh sweet, of good texture, flavor good. Not reliably nonastringent. Ripens in early November. Tree medium-sized, vigorous, spreading. Differentiates male flowers, making it a suitable pollinator.

Suruga

Large fruit. Skin orange-red. Flesh dense, very sweet, excellent quality. Difficult to soften on tree (fruit becomes spongy rather than soft). Ripens in November, keeps well Tree almost free from alternate bearing. Recommended for warmer climates.

Pollination Variant Varieties (astringent when seedless)

Chocolate

Small to medium-sized, oblong-conical fruit. Skin reddish orange. Flesh brown-streaked when pollinated, must be soft-ripe before eating. Ripens late October to early November. Tree large, vigorous, producing many male blossoms. Recommended as a pollinator for pollination variant cultivars such as Hyakuma and Zenji Maru.

Gailey

Fruit small, roundish to conical with a rounded apex. Skin dull red, pebbled. Flesh dark, firm, juicy, of fair flavor. Tree small to medium. Bears many male flowers regularly and is an excellent cultivar to plant for cross-pollination. Has attractive autumn foliage and ornamental value.

Hyakume

Fruit large, roundish oblong to roundish oblate. Skin buff-yellow to light orange, marked with rings and veins near the apex. Flesh dark cinnamon when seeded, juicy, of firm texture, nonmelting. Flavor spicy, very good. Nonastringent even while the fruit is still hard. Ripens in midseason, stores and ships well.

Maru

Small to medium-sized fruit, rounded at the apex. Skin brilliant orange-red, attractive. Flesh dark cinnamon, juicy, sweet and rich, quality excellent. Stores and ships especially well. Tree vigorous and productive. Generally considered a group name.

Nishimura Wase

Fruit medium, round conical to oblate. Orange color. Mediocre flavor. Ripens in September. Bears male flowers.

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Pepino dulce

2005-07-12T04:14:00.000-07:00

Solanum muricatum Ait.

Solanaceae

Common Names: Pepino Dulce, Pepino, Melon Pear, Melon Shrub, Pear Mellon

Related Species: Wonderberry (Solanum X burbanikii), Tzimbalo (S. caripense), Lulita (S. pectinatum), Lulo comun (S. pseudolulo), Naranjilla (S. quitoense), Garden Huckleberry (S. scabrum), Cocona (S. sessiliflorum),

Distant Affinity: Tree Tomato, Tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea), Casana (Cyphomandra casana), Tomato (Lycopersicon lycopsersicum), Mexican Husk Tomato, Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa), Cape Gooseberry, Poha Berry (Physalis peruviana) and others.

Origin: The pepino dulce is native to the temperate Andean regions of Colombia, Peru and Chile. The plant is not known in the wild, and the details of it origin are not known. The fruit is grown commercially in New Zealand, Chile and Western Australia. The pepino dulce was being grown in San Diego before 1889 and was listed by Francisco Franceschi of Santa Barbara in 1897. Improved cultivars were imported into California from New Zealand and elsewhere in more recent times.

Adaptation: The pepino dulce is a fairly hardy plant that grows at altitudes ranging from near sea level to 10,000 ft. in its native regions. However it does best in a warm, relatively frost-free climate. The plant will survive a low temperature of 27 to 28° F if the freeze is not prolonged, but may loose many of its leaves. It can be grown in many parts of central and southern California, although it does best in locations away from the coast and is not well suited for hot, interior gardens. Pepino dulce has been grown and has fruited in the milder areas of northern California (Sunset Climate Zones 16 and 17). The plant is small enough to be grown satisfactorily in a container.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: Pepino dulce is a small, unarmed, herbaceous plant or bush with a woody base and fibrous roots. Growth is erect or ascending to about 3 feet high and several feet across. It is similar in these respects to a small tomato vine, and like the tomato may need staking or other support.

Foliage: The bright green leaves are sparsely covered with very small hairs. In appearance the pepino dulce is much like a potato plant, but the leaves may take many forms--simple and entire, lobed, or divided into leaflets.

Flowers: The small flowers are blue, violet-purple or white marked with purple, and are similar in form to unopened potato flowers. The pepino dulce is deemed to be parthenocarpic but a much heavier crop results from self-pollination or cross-pollination. The plants will not set fruit until the night temperatures are above 65° F.

Fruit: The fruit also show considerable diversity in size and shape. In the areas of its origin there are small oblong types with many seeds, while others are pear or heart-shaped with few or many seeds. Still others are round, slightly larger than a baseball and completely seedless. The colors also vary--completely purple, solid green or green with purple stripes, or cream colored with or without purple stripes. The fruit of cultivars grown in this country are usually round to egg-shaped, about 2 to 4 inches long, with some growing up to 6 inches. The skin is typically yellow or purplish green, often with numerous darker streaks or stripes. The flesh is greenish to white and yellowish-orange. Better quality fruit is moderately sweet, refreshing and juicy with a taste and aroma similar to a combination of cantaloupe and honeydew melon. In poor varieties there can be an unpleasant "soapy" aftertaste. The fruit matures 30 to 80 days after pollination.

2005-07-12T04:13:00.000-07:00

Pepino dulce

2005-07-12T04:12:00.000-07:00

Pepino dulce

2005-07-12T04:10:00.000-07:00

CULTURE

Location: The plant likes a sunny or semi-shaded, frost-free location, sheltered from strong winds. It does well planted next to a south-facing wall or in a patio.

Soil: The pepino dulce does best in a fertile (but not too fertile), free draining, neutral soil ( pH of 6.5-7.5). It is not as tolerant of salinity as the tomato. Mulching will help suppress weed growth.

Irrigation: The pepino dulce is quite sensitive to moisture stress as their root systems spread out and are quite shallow. Irrigation techniques are thus crucial for the health of the plants as well as for pollination, fruit set and quality of the fruit crop. Some growers feel that overhead sprinkling may even favor increased pollination. Microjets appear to deliver moisture better than trickle irrigation.

Fertilization: The plants should be fertilized in a manner similar to a tomato plant, mixing in some well-rotted manure to the plant site several weeks in advance and supplementing with a 5-10-10 NPK granular fertilizer as needed. Soils that are too rich produce vigorous vegetative growth which can lead to reduced fruit set and quality, plus an increase in pest problems.

Pruning: Pruning of the pepino dulce is not needed unless the plant is being trained to a trellis. In this case treat it as one would a tomato vine. Opening the the fruits to light increases the purple striping and improves the general appearance.

Frost Protection: In areas where frost may be a problem, providing the plant with some overhead protection or planting them next to a wall or a building may be sufficient protection. Individual plants are small enough to be fairly easily covered during cold snaps by placing plastic sheeting, etc. over a frame around them. Plastic row covers will also provide some frost protection for larger plantings. Potted specimens can be moved to a frost-secure area.

Propagation: The pepino dulce can be grown from seeds, but is usually propagated vegetatively from cuttings. Three to five inch stem cuttings are taken leaving 4 or 5 leaves at the upper end. Treatment with rooting hormones will help increase uniformity in rooting and development of heavier root systems. The cuttings are then placed in a fast-draining medium and placed under mist or otherwise protected from excessive water loss. Bottom heat also is helpful. With the right conditions most of the cuttings quickly root and are ready for potting up in individual containers. Rooted cuttings set out after the danger of frost (February to April) should be large enough to start blooming shortly after planting. The fruit will then have time to grow and ripen during the warm summer months. When planted out, a spacing of about 2 to 3 ft. between bushes is recommended.

Pests and Diseases: The plant is affected by many of the diseases and pests that afflict tomatoes and other solanaceous plants, including bacterial spot, anthracnose, and blights caused by Alternaria spp. and Phytophthora spp. The various pests include spider mite, cut worm, hornworm, leaf miner, flea beetle, Colorado potato beetle and others. Fruit fly is a serious pest where they are a problem. Greenhouse grown plants are particularly prone to attack by spider mites, white flies and aphids

Harvest: Individual fruits should not be picked until they are completely mature to assure the highest flavor and sugar content. Different cultivars vary, but the ground color of many mature fruits is somewhat yellow to light orange. Ripe fruit also bruises easily and requires careful handling. Such fruit should store well for 3 to 4 weeks at around 38° F under relatively high humidity. Fruit destined for distant markets would need to be picked earlier just before full ripeness. As it turns out this happens to be a good time to pick the fruit. Studies have shown that fruit in the middle degree of ripeness has the best performance in cold storage. Over-ripe fruit suffers most from physiological problems such as internal breakdown, discoloration and dehydration. If harvested too early, insufficient ripening and development of flavor and sweetness can result. The pepino dulce is commonly chilled and eaten fresh much like a cantaloupe or other melon.

Commercial Potential: The pepino dulce is a successful commercial crop in several countries such as New Zealand and Chile, and there appears to be no reason it can't find a niche in this country in Farmer's Market sales and elsewhere. The fruit is strikingly attractive and its storage capability and shelf life permit great flexibility in marketing. For good market acceptance it is important to select cultivars with the sweetest and most flavorful fruit. Additional breeding and selection is also needed to further enhance these qualities.

CULTIVARS

Colossal

Very large fruit, mostly cream-colored with light markings of purple. Very juicy and sweet, free of soapiness, of good melon-like flavor, especially when vine ripened. Self-fertile, but yields larger fruit when cross-pollinated.

Ecuadorian Gold

A market cultivar in South America that produces good crops of pear-like fruits over a long growing season. The fruit has an attractive color, is well-marked and holds well on the plant. Self-fertile, but should be thinned for better fruit size.

El Camino

Released in New Zealand in 1982 from material collected in Chile. Medium to large, egg-shaped fruit with regular purple stripes. Sometimes produces off-flavored fruits identifiable by their brownish-green color. One of two leading commercial cultivars in New Zealand.

Miski Prolific

Originated in San Jose, Calif. by Nancy Garrison, as a seedling of the New Zealand cultivar Miski. Fruit creamy white with a faint salmon glow, lightly striped with purple. Flesh deep salmon. Flavor rich, sweet and aromatic, with no soapiness. Seeds few or none. Matures early. Strong growing plant, bears well without pollination.

New Yorker

Introduced into California by Vincent Rizzo of New York state from material obtained in Chile. Medium to large, oval fruit, apex pointed. Skin smooth golden yellow when mature, prominently striped with deep purple. Flesh firm, juicy, yellow-orange. Flavor sweet, virtually free of soapiness. Seeds few. Keeps for several weeks. Upright growth habit. Sets fruit well without cross pollination.

Rio Bamba

Originated in Vista, Calif by Patrick J. Worley. Named after the city in Ecuador where the original plant was collected. Medium-sized fruit, strongly striped with purple. Flavor excellent. Vining growth habit, making an excellent climber or a hanging basket plant. Dark-green leaves with reddish-purple veins, purple stems. Flowers darker than normal, making an excellent display.

Temptation

Introduced by the Nurserymen's Association of Western Australia. Large, high quality fruit.

Toma

Introduced into New Zealand from Chile in 1979, released there in 1983. Medium-sized, oval fruit, 4 inches long, 3 inches in diameter, apex pointed, shoulder well rounded. Skin smooth, cream-colored when ripe, prominently striped with dark purple. Flesh firm, light cream in color, very juicy. Flavor sweet and refreshing, with ho hint of soapiness. Seeds usually present. Keeping quality excellent. An important export cultivar in Chile.

Vista

Originated in Vista, Calif. by Patrick J. Worley. A cross of Rio Bamba and a seedling from South America. Medium-sized fruits have good flavor and aroma. Upright, fairly compact plant of great vigor, self-fertile and heavy yielding. Bright green, 3 inch long leaves.

2005-07-12T04:09:00.001-07:00

Pawpaw

2005-07-12T04:09:00.000-07:00

Pawpaw

2005-07-12T03:42:00.001-07:00

Asimina triloba

Annonaceae

Common Name:Pawpaw, Paw Paw, Papaw, Poor Man's Banana, Hoosier Banana, etc. (In Australia the tropical papaya, Carica papaya, is also known as Pawpaw).

Related species: Asimina incarna, A. longifolia, A. obovata, A. parviflora, A. pygmaea, A. reticulata, A. tetramera, A. X nashii. These eight Asimina species grow in the southeastern United States.

Distant Affinity: Cherimoya (Annona cherimola), Soursop (Annona muricata), Custard Apple (Annona reticulata), Sugar Apple, Sweetsop (Annona squamosa), Atemoya (Annona squamosa X A. cherimola).

Origin: The pawpaw is native to the temperate woodlands of the eastern U.S. The American Indian is credited with spreading the pawpaw across the eastern U.S. to eastern Kansas and Texas, and from the Great Lakes almost to the Gulf. Fossils prove the pawpaw is indigenous to the U.S.

Adaptation: The pawpaw is adapted to the humid continental climate of its native habitat. It is seldom found near the Atlantic or Gulf coasts. It requires a minimum of 400 hours of winter chill and at least 160 frost-free days. Pawpaws appear to be sensitive to low humidities, dry winds and cool maritime summers. It has been successfully grown in parts of California and the Pacific Northwest that meet its growing requirements. It has grown well in the San Jose area (USDA Climate Zone 9 or Sunset Climate Zone 15). The climatic conditions of Southern California make growing the pawpaw there more difficult. The deep winter dormancy of the tree makes it highly frost tolerant, withstanding temperatures of -25° F or lower (hardy to USDA Climate Zone 5). Pawpaws can be grown as container specimens, although this is not often practiced. A deep pot is needed to accommodate the root system.

DESCRIPTION

Growth Habit: The pawpaw is a deciduous, often narrowly conical tree growing from about 12 feet to around 20 feet. Pawpaw trees are prone to producing root suckers a few feet from the trunk. When these are permitted to grow, the single-clone pawpaw patch comes into being. The prevailing experiences of many individuals is that the pawpaw is a slow grower, particularly when it is young. However, under optimal greenhouse conditions, including photo-period extension light of approximately 16 hours, top growth of up to 5 feet can be attained in three months.

Foliage: The dark green, obovate-oblong, drooping leaves grow up to 12 inches long, giving the pawpaw an interesting tropical appearance. The leaves turn yellow and begin to fall in mid-autumn and leaf out again in late spring after the tree has bloomed.

Flowers: Dormant, velvety, dark brown flower buds develop in the axils of the previous years' leaves. They produce maroon, upside-down flowers up to 2 inches across. The normal bloom period consists of about 6 weeks during March to May depending on variety, latitude and climatic conditions. The blossom consists of 2 whorls of 3 petals each, and the calyx has 3 sepals. Each flower contains several ovaries which explains why a single flower can produce multiple fruits.

Fruit: The pawpaw is the largest edible fruit native to America. Individual fruits weigh 5 to 16 ounces and are 3 to 6 inches in length. The larger sizes will appear plump, similar to the mango. The fruit usually has 10 to 14 seeds in two rows. The brownish to blackish seeds are shaped like lima beans, with a length of 1/2 to 1-1/2 inches. Pawpaw fruits often occur as clusters of up to nine individual fruits. The ripe fruit is soft and thin skinned.

Pawpaw

2005-07-12T03:42:00.000-07:00

Asimina triloba

Annonaceae

Common Name:Pawpaw, Paw Paw, Papaw, Poor Man's Banana, Hoosier Banana, etc. (In Australia the tropical papaya, Carica papaya, is also known as Pawpaw).

DESCRIPTION

2005-07-12T03:34:00.000-07:00

Pawpaw