AgroForestryTree Database
Eugenia uniflora
 Species identityEcology and distributionPropagation and managementFunctional usesPests and diseasesAdditional InfoBibliographyImages |
Species identity
TaxonomySynonym(s)
Common names
(Filipino) : Surinam cherry
(French) : cerisescotes
(Indonesian) : dewandaru
(Malay) : ceremai belanda
(Thai) : mayom-farang (Bangkok)
Botanic description
Evergreen shrub or tree, up to 7 m tall, with spreading, slender, sometimes crooked branches. Leaves opposite, ovate to lanceolate, 2.5-6 cm x 1.5-3 cm, base rounded or slightly cordate, apex obtuse to shortly acuminate, glabrous, glossy, pellucidly dotted, bronze when young, dark green when mature, turning red in cold, dry weather. Flowers fragrant, 1-4 together in leaf axils, creamy white, about 1 cm in diameter; calyx tubular, 8-ribbed, 4-lobed; petals white, 7-11 mm long; stamens 50-60. Fruit a pendulous berry, depressed globose in outline, 1-4 cm in diameter, 7-8-ribbed, greenish when young turning to orange during development, bright red to blackish when mature; skin thin, flesh orange-red, juicy, acid to sweet, slightly resinous. Seeds 1 large or 2-3 smaller ones, flattened. Two types are distinguished: the most common form has bright cerise fruit and red-tinged foliage; the other form has dark-red to black berries and similarly tinted leaves; the latter is rarer and tends to be sweeter and less resinous.
Ecology and distribution
Natural HabitatBrazil cherry is rather cold-tolerant and will stand several degrees of frost unharmed. It thrives best in full sun and requires only moderate rainfall. It withstands a long dry season. In the Philippines it grows up to 1000 m altitude, in Guatemala up to 1800 m.
Brazil cherry is native to South America from Surinam, Guyana and French Guyana to southern Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay. At present it is grown all over the tropics and subtropics. In South-East Asia it is rare (Java, Peninsular Malaysia, the Philippines).
Biophysical limitsAltitude: Up to 1000(-1800) m. Soil types: It grows in almost any type of soil and withstands temporary waterlogging, but it is intolerant of salt.
Reproductive Biology
Flowering and fruiting may start when 2 years old under favourable circumstances, usually it starts when 5-6 years old, on the flushes of the previous season or basal part of the shoots of the current season. The fruits develop and ripen quickly, only 3 weeks after anthesis. Flowering and fruiting continue over an extended period (6-8 weeks) and, depending on the climate, there may be several crops in a year.
Propagation and management
Propagation methodsUsually Brazil cherry is propagated by seed. Seed keeps its viability for about 1 month; germination is within 3-4 weeks. Propagation by layering or grafting is possible as well.Tree Management
Plantation: Plants are set out 3-4 m apart or planted in hedged rows at spacings of 5 m x 1-2 m. Plants are most productive if left unpruned for a number of years. Fruiting is promoted by application of fertilizers and fruit development responds positively to irrigation.
Functional uses
ProductsFood: Brazil cherry is grown for its edible fruit which can be consumed fresh or made into jam, jelly, relish or pickles. Poison: Crushed leaves release a pungent oil which is used as insect repellent. Tannin or dyestuff: The bark is rich in tannin and used to treat leather. Medicine: A leaf infusion is used in Brazil and Surinam as a stomachic, febrifuge and astringent. In Java fruits are used to reduce blood pressure. Alcohol: In Brazil the juice is fermented into vinegar or wine; sometimes a distilled liquor is prepared.Services
Ornamental: Because of its peculiar, bright-coloured fruits Brazil cherry is often planted as an ornamental. Boundary or barrier or support: It used to be popular as a hedge plant, becoming densely branched when trimmed regularly.
Pests and diseasesDiseases: Sometimes diseases such as leaf-spot, thread blight, anthracnose, twig dieback and root rot occur. Pests: Brazil cherry is attractive to fruit flies, scale insects and caterpillars.
Additional Information
DevelopmentSeedlings grow slowly.Properties
Food: Per 100 g edible portion the fruits contain: water 85-90 g, protein 0.8-1 g, fat 0.4-0.8 g, carbohydrates 8-12 g, fibre 0.3-0.6 g, ash 0.3-0.5 g, vitamin C 20-30 mg. The energy value is about 190 kJ/100 g. Tannin or dyestuff: The bark contains 20-28% tannin. Poison: The seeds are extremely resinous and toxic. Essential oils: The leaves yield essential oil containing citronellal, geranyl acetate, geraniol, cineole, terpinene, sesquiterpenes and polyterpenes.
Yields
Harvesting: Fruits should be picked when they are fully ripe, otherwise they will be too resinous. Picking is done once or twice a day. "Yield: In India pruned bushes yielded 2.7-3.6 kg fruit per plant; highest yield obtained in Israel was 11 kg fruit from one untrimmed plant."
Prospects
Brazil cherry is an adaptable plant, also suited to drier regions and highland areas of South-East Asia. It is not very demanding and is particularly useful for home gardens where it may serve as a hedge plant or ornamental as well as a fruit crop. For commercial production, the agronomic and economic aspects need further investigation.