Tag: Plant Profile

Mahalo again to Joe for finding us stuff like this that basically nobody outside its home range grows. The Basics Guaquica is a rare relative of jaboticaba, a Plinia species in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae. Origin and Habitat It comes from the Atlantic rainforest near Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a biodiversity hotspot that’s also home…

The biggest fruit in the whole grumichama family, and a good one for juicing even if you wouldn’t eat it plain off the tree. The Basics Guayabilla, Eugenia victoriana, is a fruit tree in the myrtle family, Myrtaceae, and a relative of grumichama. Origin and Habitat Native to South America, where it grows alongside its…

Native, iconic in Hawaii, and it turns out I actually do have a real story behind this one after all. The Basics Hala, Pandanus tectorius, is a tree in the screwpine family, Pandanaceae — the same family as pandan, which we also grow. Origin and Habitat Native throughout the Pacific and found across coastal Hawaii,…

Having a little forest of these going is one of my favorite corners of the property. The Basics Hapuʻu is a native Hawaiian tree fern, genus Cibotium, in the family Cibotiaceae. Origin and Habitat Endemic to Hawaii, growing naturally in wet, shaded native forest understory, often at higher elevations. What It Looks Like A tree…

Bunya bunya might be the single most ancient thing growing here, and also possibly the most dangerous to stand under once it matures. The Basics Bunya bunya, Araucaria bidwillii, isn’t actually a pine despite the common name, it’s an Araucaria, the last surviving member of an ancient lineage that’s been around since the Jurassic. Origin…

Buddha’s hand went in as part of a bigger citrus push rather than getting a day of its own, but it’s strange enough looking to deserve its own writeup regardless, and its story has taken a rough turn since. The Basics Buddha’s hand citron, Citrus medica var. sarcodactylis, is a citron variety known for splitting…

Breadnut is one of the quieter members of our growing Artocarpus collection, one I haven’t gotten a dedicated story out of yet. The Basics Breadnut, Artocarpus camansi, is closely related to breadfruit and jackfruit, all in the same Moraceae genus. Origin and Habitat Native to New Guinea and the Maluku Islands, spread through the Pacific…

Planted the fourth and final borojo tree here, and the same night got a good reminder of how regional these fruits really are, even within South America. The Basics Borojo, Borojoa patinoi, is native to the Chocó rainforest region spanning Colombia and Ecuador, in the Rubiaceae family alongside coffee. Origin and Habitat Wet Chocó rainforest,…

Ken Love had a memorable line in one of the fruit documentaries he was featured in: if you live in Hawai’i, all you need is a breadfruit tree, a peanut butter fruit tree, and some blackberry jam fruit and you’re all set. This is that third piece. The Basics Blackberry jam fruit, Randia formosa, is…

Bananas used to be one of the few things here that produced fast enough to harvest regularly rather than just admire while waiting. That’s changed, and not for a good reason. The Basics Banana, Musa spp., is native to Southeast Asia and New Guinea and has since become one of the most widely grown fruit…