Ceylon Olive, Elaeocarpus serratus
Sourced from: California Rare Fruit Growers “Fruit Gardener” Jan/Feb 2009
Since 1996 I have been successfully growing a fruit rarely
encountered in the New World. Inquiries to Chris Rollins at the
Fruit and Spice Park in Homestead, Florida, as well as to other
knowledgeable fruit explorers, indicate that the species is quite a
rare one in this hemisphere. Not much is known here about Elaeocarpus serratus, also called Ceylon olive.
This
species is indigenous to Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon. The tree is
quite ornamental; in spring the oldest leaves turn blood red and
eventually absciss, but the tree remains evergreen. Many visitors
believe it is an avocado tree when they first see it, but it is not
related; it is in fact of the Elaeocarpaceae family and its fruits are
almost indistinguishable from large green olives (the commonly known
olive, Olea europaea, of the family Oleaceae).
My
cutting-grown Ceylon olive tree is now eleven years old. It is planted
in the ground at the southeast drip line of a large water oak. It
receives morning and midday sun only, but has nevertheless been
providing huge crops for the past three years. In early summer it
begins to form flower buds on long racemes. By late summer these become
strings of delicate, lacy, white flowers. My specimen is
self-fertile and attracts a myriad of insect pollinators, notably
flies, wasps and flower beetles. Fruit set is close to twenty
percent.
Ceylon olives become pigeon-egg sized and here in
Florida ripen January through March. They are green and
olive-like, and remain so when ripe. The fruits fall when ready and
spoil rapidly if not gathered and used. The flesh texture is pasty
and avocado-like, but tastes slightly sour, which may indicate that it
will be a source of vitamin C. Testing will determine whether this
is true.
In Sri Lanka these fruits are used as mustard pickles:
unripe fruits are first boiled, then squashed flat. The whole
fruits are combined with diced shallots to make a mixture called
country mustard. These pickles are also known as veralu
acharu. Street vendors boil and press the unripe fruits and then
sell them seasoned with salt and chili powder. Softer and sweeter
ripened fruits are eaten with jaggery (palm sugar), which makes a
pleasant snack. I’ve found that ordinary table sugar works just as
well. Some Asian shops sell them pickled in salt, sugar and
vinegar as Thai olives. I’ve made many versions of these, but I
don’t get too excited over the taste. In India they are called verali
pallam; in Sri Lanka, veralu and in Thailand, ca na. Cooking the
sliced, ripe fruits in tomato sauce-based dishes is a different story;
they are quite good this way. The seed kernel tastes like a brazil
nut, but is very difficult to extract. The local squirrels have
learned to eat them.
Culture of the Ceylon olive tree is very
easy here in Florida. From seed or cuttings, it grows into a
sturdy tree holding very strong branches. The plant is very cold
hardy, down to 23º F (-5º C), with little damage other than on the
branch tips. This tree is also very drought tolerant—no extra
irrigation is needed even in severe dry seasons.
My
specimen is also extremely tolerant of wet feet. After exceptional
rainfall that killed adjacent olives, peaches, loquats, avocados and
chestnuts, the Ceylon olive kept growing. I find that no fertilizers
are required. Best of all, no pests have been noted, including
aphids, leafhoppers, caterpillars, sawflies, beetles, ants, mealy bugs
and scale insects.
In central Florida, propagation of Ceylon
olive is very successful by cuttings, air layers and seeds, but seeds
are very perishable and must be planted quickly. It grows fairly
rapidly, becoming a sturdy, full tree, holding strong branches of hard
wood capable of safely supporting an adult.
Paul and Luisa Zmoda are the owners of Flatwoods Fruit Farm and grow many fruits.
e-mail: flatwoodsfarm@aol.com Address: 11009 Riverview Drive, Riverview, FL 33578-4469
Back to
Olive Page
|