From Palm Beach County Extension Service, University of Florida.
by Gene Joyner
The Madrono
Rheedia madruno
Garcinia madruno (Kunth) Hammel
If
you're looking for a medium-sized tree that has a somewhat different
fruit, try growing the madrono Rheedia madruno. This tree has sharply
pointed leathery leaves, four to six inches long, dark green above and
somewhat lighter green on the undersurface. Native to the wet forests
of Panama and southern Mexico, this tree is somewhat slow growing, but
will reach a height of thirty feet or more at maturity.
Fruits
are produced during the warm season and are usually one to two inches
in length, and somewhat oval in shape. The fruit skin is yellow, warty
and somewhat brittle. Inside is a white pulp surrounding several large
seeds, and the pulp has a pleasant aromatic sub-acid flavor.
In
addition to being eaten as a fresh fruit it makes an excellent jam. One
word of caution, though: do not pick fruits prior to maturity. If
picked prior to maturity, fruits are generally very acid, and once
picked no further ripening occurs in the fruit.
This tree has a fair
amount of salt tolerance and makes an excellent ornamental, even if
you're not going to grow it for its fruit. Most trees can withstand
average winter conditions, but hard freezes may damage leaves and small
twigs.
The madrono is tolerant of a wide range of soil types,
but sometimes has micronutrient deficiencies in high-pH soils,
requiring the use of nutritional sprays. Trees have few if any pest
problems and once established have very low needs for maintenance.
Seedling trees grow very quickly for the first two to three years and
then growth rates improve.
It makes a nice specimen container
plant for a porch, patio, or pool area when young, and can be kept as a
potted plant for many years before growing large enough to be planted
in the ground.
Madrono trees are difficult to locate at area
tropical fruit nurseries, but fruiting specimens can be found
throughout South Florida.
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Madrono Page
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