BACK TO E-START oder ZURÜCK ZU D-START
Muntingia or Jamaika Cherry
Muntingia calabura
Elaeocarpaceae
Description
The very fast-growing tree reaches 25 to 40 ft (7.5-12 m) in height, with spreading, nearly horizontal branches. The leaves are evergreen, alternate, lanceolate or oblong, long-pointed at the apex, oblique at the base; 2 to 5 in (5-12.5 cm) long, dark-green and minutely hairy on the upper surface, gray- or brown-hairy on the underside; and irregularly toothed. The flowers, borne singly or in 2's or 3's in the leaf axils, are 1/2 to 3/4 in (1.25-2 cm) wide with 5 green sepals and 5 white petals and many prominent yellow stamens. They last only one day, the petals falling in the afternoon. The abundant fruits are round, 3/8 to 1/2 in (1-1.25 cm) wide, with red or sometimes yellow, smooth, thin, tender skin and light-brown, soft, juicy pulp, with very sweet, musky, somewhat fig-like flavor, filled with exceedingly minute, yellowish seeds, too fine to be noticed in eating.
Origin and Distribution
The Jamaica cherry is native to southern Mexico, Central America, tropical South America, the Greater Antilles, St. Vincent and Trinidad. It is widely cultivated in warm areas of the New World and in India, southeast Asia, Malaya, Indonesia, and the Philippines, in many places so thoroughly naturalized that it is thought by the local people to be native.
The fruits are sold in Mexican markets. In Brazil, they are considered too small to be of commercial value.
Climate
The Jamaica cherry is tropical to near-tropical. It is found up to 4,000 ft (1,300 m) in Colombia. When well-established, it is not harmed by occasional low winter temperatures in southern Florida.
Soil
The tree is thriving with no care in even poor acid and alkaline soils. It is drought-resistant ( at the Canary Islands it likes a lot of water or the branchlets hang down, fruits fall unripe ) but not salt-tolerant. For a good harvest it needs much and regular watering and fertilisation.
Propagation
There are many shoots from the roots. They can be cut with some finer roots and potted and left in the shade for some weeks. Brazilian planters sow directly into the field fresh seeds mixed with the sweet juice of the fruit. To prepare seeds for future planting, water is added repeatedly to the squeezed-out seeds and juice and, as the seeds sink to the bottom of the container, the water is poured off several times until the seeds are clean enough for drying in the shade.
Culture
The planting hole is prepared with a mixture of organic fertilizer and soil and with a fungicidal solution to prevent the young seedlings from damping-off. To assure good distribution of the seeds, they are mixed with water and sown with a sprinkling can. Well fertilized and watered, the seedlings will begin fruiting in 18 months and will be 13 ft (4 m) high in 2 years.
Season
Fruits are borne nearly all year, though flowering and fruiting are interrupted in Florida and Sao Paulo, Brazil, during the 4 coolest months. The same we observed at the Canary Islands. Ripe fruits can easily be shaken from the branches or they fall down undamadged and can be collected.
Pests and Diseases
In Florida, in recent years, the fruits are infested with the
larvae of the Caribbean fruit fly. We at the Canary Islands got
the Mediterranean fruit fly. Though these flies infest many other
fruit the Muntingia stayed safe.
Food Uses
The Jamaica cherry is widely eaten by children ( and adults ) out-of-hand. It is often cooked in tarts and made into jam. The leaf infusion is drunk as a tea-like beverage.
Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion
Moisture 78 g
Protein 0.3g
Fat 1.6 g
Fiber 4.6 g
Ash 1.1 g
Calcium 124 mg
Phosphorus 84 mg
Iron 1.2 mg
Carotene 0.02 mg
Thiamine 0.065 mg
Riboflavin 0.037 mg
Niacin 0.56 mg
Ascorbic Acid 81 mg
*Analyses made in El Salvador.