Taste the Tropics

Nine Fruiting Trees and Plants for the Florida Home

How to enjoy nature's bounty in your own backyard.

By Staff January 3, 2019 Published in the January 2019 issue of Sarasota Magazine

Banana

(Musa acuminata): Native to Southeast Asia, the banana has been cultivated for thousands of years. The “Ice Cream” and “Blue Java” cultivars grow well in Florida.

Carambola

(Averrhoa carambola): More commonly known as star fruit because of its shape when sliced crosswise, the carambola tastes a bit like quince and is used often these days in fresh vegetable and fruit salads

Fig

(Ficus carica): Figs have been cultivated for millennia. Roman gladiators ate them for a boost of energy. The Spanish brought them to the Americas.

Guava

(Psidium guajava): Native to Brazil, guava grows around the world today. It has a fabulous tropical aroma and delicious fruit that’s often used to make a sweet syrup or guava paste.

Jaboticaba

(Myrciaria cauliflora): This tropical evergreen native to Brazil makes a fine ornamental tree and produces a sweet, dark purple, berry-like fruit that’s becoming a favorite in Florida.

Passionfruit

(Passiflora edulis): Passion fruit grows on vines, not trees, and needs a trellis or other structure to support it. It’s an ornamental plant with an attractive fruit that looks like a small pomegranate. It’s most commonly used to make sweet and tangy juices and sauces.

Sapodilla

(Manilkara zapota): A tropical American species that produces abundant, juicy, sweet fruit for much of the year. Latex from the bark was once used in chewing gum. The fruit is also known as nispero and zapote.

Surinam cherry

(Eugenia uniflora): A common plant in Central and Southern Florida that grows in almost any type of soil. The ripe fruit is dark scarlet to dark purple, almost black. Admirers love to pick and eat them right off the tree or make them into jam and syrup. They’re used in folk remedies for stomach illnesses in parts of South America.

Tamarind

(Tamarindus indica): This tree, once fairly common in South Florida but now rare, is relatively easy to grow in well-drained soils. Its fruit is classified as a bean used to make confections and chutneys, among other things.

Want a tropical oasis in your backyard? Plant these trees. (Note: Not all tropical or subtropical fruits can be grown in all places in Florida. Consult a map or guide to the state’s growing regions before buying and planting.)

Fruit

Show Comments