Other Names:  Brazil Cherry, Grumichama

Description:

An excellent choice for hedging or screening; foliage emerges red-bronze, maturing to deep glossy green; attractive white flowers in spring and edible berries in mid to late summer; sweet and juicy, perfect for fresh eating, jams or pies

Edible Qualities

Brazilian Cherry is a small tree that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces red round fruit which are typically harvested when mature. The fruits have a sweet taste and a juicy texture.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Fresh Eating
• Eating When Cooked/Prepared
• Baking
• Preserves
• Freezing

Features & Attributes

Brazilian Cherry features showy white flowers at the ends of the branches from mid spring to mid summer. It has attractive dark green evergreen foliage which emerges dark red in spring. The glossy pointy leaves are highly ornamental and remain dark green throughout the winter. It features an abundance of magnificent red berries from mid to late summer. The rough gray bark and brick red branches add an interesting dimension to the landscape.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen tree with an upright spreading habit of growth. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This plant will require occasional maintenance and upkeep, and can be pruned at anytime. It is a good choice for attracting birds to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Brazilian Cherry is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Mass Planting
• Hedges/Screening
• General Garden Use
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Brazilian Cherry will grow to be about 20 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 15 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 3 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a medium rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for 40 years or more.

This plant is typically grown in a designated edibles garden. It should only be grown in full sunlight. It prefers to grow in average to moist conditions, and shouldn't be allowed to dry out. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is somewhat tolerant of urban pollution. This species is not originally from North America.

Brazilian Cherry is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Its large size and upright habit of growth lend it for use as a solitary accent, or in a composition surrounded by smaller plants around the base and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.