Plant Profile: Peanut Butter Fruit

Plant a breadfruit tree, a peanut butter fruit tree, and some blackberry jam fruit, and you’re all set if you live in Hawaii, at least when all three are actually alive at once.

The Basics

Peanut butter fruit, Bunchosia argentea, is a shrub or small tree in the family Malpighiaceae.

Origin and Habitat

Native to Central and South America.

What It Looks Like

A shrubby tree with small orange-red fruit.

Uses and Flavor

The fruit reportedly has a flavor and texture reminiscent of peanut butter, which is exactly why it’s such a novelty.

Growing It Here

Planted mostly out of curiosity about whether it actually tastes like peanut butter. Ken Love has a line about this one I still think about: plant a breadfruit tree, a peanut butter fruit tree, and some blackberry jam fruit, and you’re all set if you live in Hawaii. We had all three going for a while, but we ended up losing this one to neglect. Planning on getting a replacement in the ground so the joke works again.

Pests and Diseases to Watch For

Nothing to report so far.

Kenta’s Take

Having breadfruit, peanut butter fruit, and blackberry jam fruit all growing here at once made Ken’s joke about an entire sandwich a little too real, at least until we lost the peanut butter fruit. Already looking for a replacement.