Caimito, Star Apple - CHRYSOPHYLLUM CAINITOtop

This large, lovely tree of tropical American origin is used both as a landscape and fruiting tree. The leaves are glossy green on top and bronze beneath. It grows well in warm areas of Florida and has grown in San Diego, though it would prefer high humidity. The name "star apple" refers to the distribution of the seeds in the cut fruit. Skin color can be green, yellow or purple; shape is round. When ripe, flesh is melting, sweet and pleasantly flavored. Propagation by seeds (may never fruit) air-layer and grafting.

Caimo, Abiu - POUTERIA CAIMITOtop

A native of South America sometimes confused with the star apple, Chrysophyllum caimito. One of the best fruits of the Sapotaceae family, resembling canistel in habit, growth and foliage. Fruit is almost round with a thick, light-yellow skin and tough, white, translucent flesh. Until fully ripe, it contains a latex which sticks to the lips. Propagated by grafting or seed, though seedlings are variable.

Calamondin, China Orange, Golden Lime - CITROFORTUNELLA MITIStop

Native to China. An important citrus juice source in the Philippines, it has an upright growth habit, very shapely, almost thornless; highly productive and one of the cold-hardiest citrus. It makes an excellent ornamental, can be kept in a container or shaped by pruning to make a landscape plant. The small fruits, with red-orange rind and orange flesh, hold on the tree well. They are used for juice when not fully mature; when mature, skin becomes easily separated.

Camu Camu, Camocamo - MYRCIARIA PARAENSIS (M. DUBIA, M. SPRUCEANA.)top

A shrub or small tree, native to South America. It bears a small, red fruit with acid pulp. Propagated by seed.

Candlenut, Country Walnut - ALEURITES MOLUCCANAtop

A large, open and well-formed tree native to tropical Asia. The oily nuts were used by the natives as candles, hence the name of the tree. The shells are black when ripe and, in Hawaii, are polished and used in leis. The kernels are eaten as a relish after baking and act as a laxative on some people. The plant grows in Hawaii and in the warmer protected areas of South Florida. Propagation is by seeds or cuttings.

Canistel, Eggfruit, Lucuma, Nervosa, Yiessas - POUTERIA CAMPECHIANAtop

This small-to-medium evergreen tree from Central and Northern South America makes a good landscape tree but it cannot stand frost. The fruit is variable in size and shape, with a thin yellow to orange skin covering a dry to moist pulp,sweet, musky, rich and generally either loved or despised. Eaten fresh or cooked in place of yam, it is picked when mature and allowed to set until soft and ripe. Propagated by seed or grafting.

Cannon-ball Tree - COUROUPITA GUIANENSIStop

A large deciduous tree, popular in South America and West Indies, it is a curiosity in the warmer areas of Florida and is propagated by seed. The fruits are 6-8" across, round, hard and brown, hence the common name. The white pulp is ill-smelling when ripe and contains many seeds but has a grape or wine-like flavor, slightly acid, which is edible.

Capulin, Panama Berry, Strawberry Tree - MUNTINGIA CALABURAtop

A popular tropical tree, it is large, aggressive, open, rapid growing, and an early bearer. The small red or yellow fruit bears almost throughout the year. It is sweet, palatable, resembles a strawberry in taste and can be used in the same fashion, pies, cakes, or fresh. The leaves are sometimes used for tea. Propagated by seed or air layer.

Capulin, Capulin Tropical Cherry - PRUNUS SALICIFOLIAtop

This small subtropical tree from South and Central America is a wild cherry of the tropics. The flowers are white and fruit is maroon-purple covering a pale-green, juicy flesh. It is eaten fresh or in preserves. Propagated by seed or grafting.

Carambola, Star Fruit - AVERRHOA CARAMBOLAtop

This dense, evergreen tree common in India and China grows to about 20'. Red and white flowers appear on bare branches or at leaf bases. Fruit has a thin, waxy, green-yellow, yellow or orange skin. Oblong and five-angled it is star-shaped when cut across the middle. It has a sweet, watery, slightly acid, pleasant tasting pulp that is eaten raw or preserved. Seedlings have been known to bear in 3 years. Large trees have been known to survive 26°F without damage but young trees must be protected from frost.

Carob, St. John's Bread - CERATONIA SILIQUA top

Dioecious. This Mediterranean tree is adapted to the same range as the orange. It is slow growing, but needs little care once established. The fruits are thick leathery pods up to a foot long, containing seeds and sweet pulp (24-48% sugar), which ripen May to July. The pulp is edible raw or cooked. In the U.S., it is well known as a chocolate substitute. Legend says St. John ate the pods, thus the second common name.

Cas, Costa Rica guava - PSIDIUM FRIEDRICHSTHALIANUMtop

This moderate-growing, small tree from Central America grows well in protected areas but doesn't bear well. It bears large, white fragrant flowers and large round or oval, green-to-yellow fruit with a number of seeds and white, slightly acid but tasty flesh. It is eaten fresh, in ades or jellies. Propagated by seed or air layer.

Cashew - ANACARDIUM OCCIDENTALtop

An easily grown evergreen relative of the mango, poison sumac and poison ivy. Very sensitive to cold, especially in warm winters followed by a freeze. Leaves are simple, leathery, light-green with a copper-red blush when young. The nut is not edible or safe when raw. Touching an uncooked nut can cause skin eruptions and the smoke given off by roasting is itself an irritant and poisonous. The cashew apple grows above the nut; it is edible and safe without treatment and makes good jelly or fermented liquor.

Cassava, Yucca, Tapioca - MANIHOT ESCULENTAtop

A bushy herb or shrub from Brazil, with long tuberous edible roots. There are two varieties, the sweet one, whose roots may be eaten raw, and the bitter one, whose roots contain much prussic acid which is destroyed by cooking. The flavor of both is good when cooked. The Latins cook it with olive oil and garlic. The roots are used as potatoes and as a flour-like thickener. The tapioca used in pudding is the starch of this plant root.

Cattley guava, Strawberry guava - PSIDIUM LITTORALEtop

This excellent landscape shrub, native to Brazil, has shiny, deep-green leaves, reddish when young. Two varieties are popular,the red one has 1½" round, red fruit with a sweet to subacid flavor while the yellow one has larger and sweeter fruit,both are eaten fresh or used in jelly. Propagated by seed, cutting or air layer.

Cuachilote, Guajilote - PARMENTIERA EDULIStop

A spiny, medium-sized tree from Guatemala and Mexico, it makes a conversation piece because of its shape and leaves. The fruit, 4 -6" long, 1-2" wide, resembles a cucumber. Edible when yellow. It is cooked or eaten raw but is not of good quality.

Cecropia, Trumpet Tree, Indian Snakework - CECROPIA PELTATAtop

A West Indian native, fast-growing, short-lived tree which has large leaves 1' across. The sap yields a latex rubber. Young buds are eaten as a cooked vegetable. The fruit is cylindrical with soft, sweet flesh and many small seeds. The tree is propagated by seed.

Central American Walnut - JUGLANS OLANCHANA top

A high elevation plant in its native habitat, growing at 5000 feet and above. It has never fruited in the U.S.

Ceriman, Swiss Cheese Plant - MONSTERA DELICIOSA top

A jungle climbing relative of the philodendron from Mexico and Guatemala. It is seen in gardens in tropical and subtropical areas, growing well in partial sun or shade. The plant begins bearing after three years. Popular as a houseplant, it seldom fruits in the home. The large pinnate leaves are perforated with oblong or oval holes, hence one common name. The 9", dull, deep green, cone-like fruit is actually an unripened flower spike, covered with hexagonal scales that dry out and separate as the fruit ripens from the base upwards, revealing the white pulp. It takes a little longer than a year to mature to an edible stage. Unripe fruit, if eaten causes irritation to the mouth and throat because of the oxalic acid. It can be induced to ripen by picking when the base has started to wrinkle and wrapping in a bag for a few days. When unwrapped, the scales should have separated. Propagated by cuttings of mature wood or air layering.

Ceylon GooseberryKitembilla - DOVYALIS HEBECARPAtop

A large, thorny bush, native to Ceylon, that bears 1" purple, acid fruit. Often used as a barrier hedge because of the thorns and its vigorous growth habit. Propagated by seeds and cuttings.

Charichuela, Bacury-Pary - RHEEDIA MACROPHYLLA top

A small, slow-growing evergreen tree from South America. Fruit is small, yellow, with a firm, bumpy rind and a soft, white, subacid pulp with 1-2 seeds. It is eaten fresh. Propagated by seed.

Cheremai, Otaheite Gooseberry, Grosella - PHYLLANTHUS ACIDUStop

Dioecious. A native of Madagascar and India; the manner of fruiting is remarkable. The fruit hang in clusters, along the limbs, branches and trunk. It sometimes produces two crops a year. The fruit is waxy and light yellow, fleshy and ribbed, turban-like. The flavor is tart and like that of a gooseberry. It is best cooked with sugar and served as a compote or a pie filling. In India, it is used in pickles and preserves. Propagated by seed, cutting and air layer.

Cherimoya - ANNONA CHERIMOLAtop

This tropical highland is reportedly the best of the annonas. It is a spreading, deciduous, small tree that prefers sun, can't stand wet feet and can survive a light frost but not heavy freezes. A seedling will bear in 4-5 years. The fruit is 3-9" long, generally conical, smooth skin with bumps or dents, green to yellow when ripe. October to May in California. The pulp is white, sweet and aromatic with a custard-like texture

Cherry of the Rio, Grande - EUGENIA AGGREGATAtop

A small shrub or tree, indigenous to Brazil, it is an attractive evergreen landscape plant that prefers a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8. It bears a 1" oblong, dark-red fruit with a thin skin, sweet with a single seed. The fruit is eaten fresh or as a jelly or jam. Propagated by seed or cuttings under mist.

Chicle Tree, Sapodilla - MANILKARA ZAPOTAtop

An attractive Central American slow-growing evergreen tree that has tough branches which will withstand strong winds and a certain amount of salt spray. It is famous as the source of chicle, or chewing gum. The fruit varies from round to oval according to the variety, 2 to 3½" across, green at first, finally turning a russet brown. When perfectly ripe, the flavor and consistency of the flesh are similar to a pear and surround a center of hard, shiny black seeds. Propagated by seed, air layering, and grafting.

Chinese Date, Jujube - ZIZYPHUS JUJUBAtop

This small shrub or tree, deciduous and usually quite spiny, is native to Asia but was introduced to China. It thrives in hot dry regions, in strongly alkaline soils and is cold tolerant to -30°F. The small flowers produce a 1¼" long fleshy fruit that varies from oblong to egg-shaped to almost round. It can be eaten fresh, tastes somewhat like small dry apple, or air dried, tastes like date. Most commonly, it is preserved, dried, sweet-pickled, stewed and used in confections. Propagated by grafting, root cutting or seed for rootstock.

Chia Ye, Chinese Jello - FICUS AWKEOTSANGtop

A vine that bears a yellow fruit used by the Chinese for making a "Jello"-like jelly.

Chinese Olive, Pak Laam - CANARIUM ALBUMtop

A native of China, Vietnam and the Philippines, this large tree bears a fruit valued for its pulp. It is preserved in either sweet or sour form and used as olives.

Chinese or Japanese Raisin Tree - HOVENIA DULCIStop

A small to medium-sized dioecious tree from China and Japan. The fruit is a small dry capsule with a fleshy, sweet, edible pedicel. Grown for the swollen red stems of the fruit that are used for medicine and food, tasting somewhat like pears. The tree does well in warmer areas, standing 10°F. Propagated by seeds or root cuttings.

Chocolate Pudding, Fruit Black Sapote - DIOSPYROS DIGYNA (D. EBENASTER)top

A beautiful glossy-green, evergreen, landscape tree that becomes more cold tolerant as is matures. The round, green to black fruit, a favorite in Mexico, is about 3-4" across. Bitter when unripe, the soft black pulp is non acid, sweet and insipid when it is ripe. Mixed with lemon, made into bread or jelly or combined with milk or cream into a shake or pudding, it is a good fruit. The green fruit is said to be poisonous and has been used in Central America to stun fish. Propagated by seed or grafting.

Ciruela, Purple Mombin, Red Mombin, Spanish Plum - SPONDIAS PURPUREAtop

This medium-sized, deciduous tree, from tropical America, needs to be protected from frost. An important fruit in native markets, it is strangely shaped,when young, it follows the outline of the knobby seed; later, it becomes rounded but retains a lip which covers the apex of the large seed. The flesh is slightly more acid than the other spondias but is delicious when cooked. Propagated by seed or cutting.

Citrangequat, Limequat, Orangequat - CITRUS / FORTUNELLA HYBRIDtop

These three ornamental hybrids are a result of a breeding program sponsored by the USDA, to breed the cold hardiness of the kumquat into the other plants. The limequat is a key lime crossed with a kumquat; a good lime substitute and more cold hardy than its lime parent. The orangequat is a cross between the Meiwa kumquat and the Satsuma mandarin and produces a tasty kumquat-like fruit. The citrangequat is the result of a cross of kumquat and citrange (orange x trifoliate orange) and the fruit is very sour. All of the hybrids are prolific fruit producers, small trees good for containers and propagated by budding.

Clove - SYZYGIUM AROMATICUMtop

This handsome evergreen tree, native to the Moluccas but now cultivated in many areas of the tropics, must be protected from temperatures below 40°F. The "cloves" used in food are well dried, unopened flower buds. Propagated by seed or air layer, with some success under mist.

Cochin-goraka, Gamboge - GARCINIA XANTHOCHYMUStop

A medium-sized tree from Southeast Asia, it makes an attractive ornamental with its 18" glossy, pendulous leaves. The fruit is yellow with acid pulp and two large seeds. Propagated by seed.

Cocoa, Cocoa Tree - THEOBROMA CACAOtop

This small evergreen from Central America is grown throughout the wet, lowland tropics under the shade of taller trees and is the source of commercial cocoa and chocolate. The 8-12" long, yellow or red fruit has a white, mucilaginous, mildly sweet pulp which can be eaten and many flat seeds. The oil from the seeds is used in cosmetics and perfumes. Propagated by seed, cutting, air layering or grafting.

Cocona - SOLANUM TOPIRUtop

This is an herbaceous plant from South America. The small, orange, egg-shaped fruit has a subacid-to-sour pulp with many small seeds. When ripe, it is eaten as a tomato or, mixed with sugar, makes a thirst-quenching drink.

Coconut Palm - COCOS NUCIFERAtop

This palm has a leaning slender trunk and a heavy crown of pinnate foliage. It prefers sunshine, tolerates salt, and in warm areas, is used extensively as a landscape plant. It will freeze at 29°F, though some have been known to survive 25°F. There are strains that can be selected for specific purposes, such as the 'Dwarf golden' with its bright little fruit or the 'Dwarf green' whose fruit are vivid green at maturity. Propagated by seed which is set into the earth about its depth.

Cocoplum, Icaco - CHRYSOBALANUS ICACO top

This native shrub or small tree of South Florida and the West Indies makes an extremely pretty light-green hedge. It will freeze at 26-27°F but return from the roots. The flowers are not showy nor are the fruits, which are about 1" in diameter and variously yellow, pink, red or black. They have a cotton-candy pulp surrounding the seed, which is edible raw or roasted and tastes similar to an almond. The fruit can be cooked and made into preserves.

Cooking Banana, Plantain - MUSA HYBRIDStop

Plantains are a hybrid of two species of banana (M. acuminata x M. balbisiana) and includes some excellent bananas. Plantains are nutritious but generally must be cooked. Some are edible raw when fully ripe. More important than the sweet banana to people living in the tropics, the fruit can be sliced and deep fried, roasted or boiled in their skins and eaten with sugar or salt or used as a substitute for flour. The plant can be grown in poorer soils and dryer conditions than the sweet banana. It is used as temporary shade for coffee plantations. Propagated by corms or suckers.

Coontie, Florida Arrowroot - ZAMIA INTEGRIFOLIAtop

This South Florida native is a cycad with palm-like leaves 2-3' long. The thick, under-grown, starchy stem is edible but the root is deadly poisonous unless it is first peeled, pounded, ground, boiled, mashed, washed with plenty of water, drained and dried. The run-off water is known to kill cattle.

Cotopriz, Guayo - TALISIA OLIVIFORMIStop

This native of Colombia is a small tree bearing a sweet, pleasant-tasting, jet-black fruit the size and shape of an olive.

Curuba, Tacsonia, Banana Passion Fruit, Sweet Calabash - PASSIFLORA MOLLISSIMAtop

Native to the Andes where it grows wild. Rampant grower suited to colder conditions.

Custard apple, Bullock's Heart - ANNONA RETICULATA top

A 25' low-branched deciduous tree, scraggly in appearance. The fruit is large, with yellow or brownish skin and a creamy pulp. Like all annonas, it cannot stand wet feet. Generally used as a rootstock for other annonas.