Can anyone tell me what this tree might be, seen on a street in Havana. It had a green apple-like fruit attached in small clusters directly to the trunk and branches, rather than hanging from the tips of the branches. (The fruit are apple-like in appearance -- I don't know what they are like internally.) I've attached three photos - a close-up showing the fruit and some leaves; a wider shot; and a shot that includes some of the root structure. We were told that this tree can be easily grown from a cutting, but otherwise that's all we know about it.
Jaboticaba, Brazilian Grape Tree (Myrciaria cauliflora) ? - I know when mature the fruit is dark red/purple but I do not know about the unripe fruit * The Jaboticaba is a very unusual tree native to Brazil whose fruits are formed directly on the trunk and branches. The grape tasting fruit has a thin astringent purplish black skin, with a sweet white fleshy pulp and can be eaten fresh or be used to make jellies and drinks (plain juice or wine). Hardiness: USDA Zone 9b: to -3.8 °C (25 °F) FYI, the jaboticaba can be grown indoors as a bonsai or container grown as it is slow growing - I have one in my greenhouse zone 8
Thanks, looks like you nailed it! I googled some images and found plenty of shots with green fruit, and some shots with mixed green and purple fruit. So any tips on turning my cutting into an ornamental? I've potted it and placed it in a container to increase the humidity. Anything else I should be doing?
I have only recently acquired mine so I am guessing gentle pruning to the shape you want - as for conditions, mine has been growing in a heated greenhouse for the last 3 months but I recently shut off the heater so the night-time temps have been dropping to about 11C (about 54F) and it does not seem to bother it (still lots of new green growth).....I have actually read in some forums that it should survive zone 8 when mature, which is what I am hoping for - in the meantime it will be a "houseplant". I would recommend checking out Dave's Garden for more info: http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/61077/ Or even Logee's Greenhouse (located in Danielson, CT), which is where I mail-ordered mine from. Toll-Free: (888) 330-8038 Email: info@logees.net Good luck!
