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Fruits  Subtropical fruits
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SUB
TROPICAL FRUITS |
 Guava |
| Guava (from Spanish Guayaba; Goiaba in Portuguese)
is a genus of about 100 species of tropical
shrubs and small trees in the myrtle family
Myrtaceae, native to the Caribbean, Central
America and northern South America. The
leaves are opposite, simple, elliptic to
ovate, 5-15 cm long. The flowers are white,
with five petals and numerous stamens. |
| The fruit is edible, round to pear-shaped,
from 3-10 cm in diameter (to 12 cm in some
selected cultivars). It has a thin delicate
rind, pale green to yellow at maturity in
some species, pink to red in others, a creamy
white or orange-salmon flesh with many small
hard seeds, and a strong characteristic
aroma which people either love or hate.
It is rich in vitamins A, B, and C.Guavas
are cultivated in many tropical countries
because of their edible fruits. Several
species are grown commercially; those listed
in the box right are the most important. |
| The fruit is commonly eaten whole, like
an apple, or sliced and served with sugar
and cream as a dessert. In Asia, raw guava
is often dipped in salt or prune powder.
Boiled guava is also extensively used to
make candies, preserves, jellies, jams,
marmalades (goiabada), and juices.The plants
are frost-sensitive. In several tropical
regions, including Hawaii, some species
have become invasive weed shrubs. It is
also of interest for home growers in temperate
areas, as one of the very few tropical
fruit that can be grown to fruiting
size in pots indoors. |
| Lychee |
| The Lychee Litchi chinensis is the sole
member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry
family Sapindaceae. It is a tropical fruit
tree native to southern China.It is a medium-sized
evergreen tree, reaching 15-20 m tall, with
alternate pinnate leaves, each leaf 15-25
cm long, with (2) 4-8 lateral leaflets 5-10
cm long; the terminal leaflet is absent.
The newly emerging young leaves are a bright
coppery red at first, before turning green
as they expand to full size. The flowers
are small, greenish-white or yellowish-white,
produced in panicles up to 30 cm long. |
The fruit is a drupe, 3-4 cm long and 3
cm in diameter. The outside is covered by
a red, roughly-textured rind that is inedible
but easily removed. The inside consists
of a layer of sweet, translucent white flesh,
rich in vitamin C, with a texture somewhat
similar to that of a grape. The centre contains
a single glossy brown seed, 2 cm long and
1-1.5 cm in diameter. The seed, similar
to a buckeye seed, is slightly poisonous
and should not be eaten. The fruit matures
from July to October, about 100 days after
flowering. |
| Lychees are extensively grown
in their native southern China, and also
elsewhere in southeast Asia, India, southern
Japan, and more recently in Florida and
Hawaii in the United States, and the wetter
areas of eastern Australia. They require
a warm subtropical to tropical climate that
is frost-free or with only very slight winter
frosts not below -4°C, and with high
summer heat, rainfall, and humidity. |
| Growth
is best on well-drained, slightly acidic
soils rich in organic matter. A wide range
of cultivars is available, with early and
late maturing forms suited to warmer and
cooler climates respectively. They are also
grown as an ornamental tree as well as for
their fruit. Lychees are commonly sold fresh
in Chinese markets (and in recent years,
also widely in western supermarkets). The
red rind turns dark brown when the fruit
is refrigerated, but the taste is not affected.
It is also sold canned year-round. There
is a Cantonese saying: "one lychee
= three torches of fire". It refers
to the extreme Yang property of the fruit.
Over-consumption of lychees is reported
to lead to dried lips and nosebleeds in
some people. By contrast, the related longan
fruit is purported to have a nourishing
property. |
| Tamarillo
or Tree Tomato |
Tamarillo or "Tree Tomato" (Cyphomandra
betacea; Solanaceae) is an egg-shaped fruit
with a thin skin and a soft flesh (when
ripe) with dark-coloured seeds occupying
about one third of the interior.The fruit
is held on the tree in clusters as are many
other clustered fruit, such as cherries.
The trees are grown from cuttings and are
very frost-tender when young. They are shallow-rooted
and respond to deep mulching and abundant
water. The tree can grow to a little more
than 6 metres but it is subject to wind
damage and needs shelter. It will fruit
from two years and a single mature tree
in good soil will carry more fruit than
a normal family can eat for about 3 months.
When the tree is about 1 to 1.5 metres in
height it is advisable to cut the roots
on one side and lean the tree to the (other)
direction of the midday sun at about 30
to 45 degrees. This allows fruiting branches
to grow from all along the trunk rather
than just at the top.
The fruit is eaten by scooping the flesh
from a halved fruit but, in New Zealand,
most children palpate the ripe fruit until
it is soft then bite off the stem end and
squeeze the flesh directly into their mouth.
The lightly sugared, cooled, flesh makes
a refreshing breakfast dish. They give a
unique flavour when compoted or added to
stews and curries. They are tasty and decorative
in fresh
fruit salads.The tamarillo is
native to the Andes of Peru and, possibly,
Chile, Ecuador and, likely, Bolivia. It
is cultivated in Argentina, Australia, Brazil,
Colombia, the US and Venezuela. It is grown
as a commercial crop for international export
in New Zealand.
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Special fruits for this week
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.jpg "Strawberries have seeds outside them")
