Muntingia Calabura 50 Seeds Jamaican Cherry Rare Tropical Sweet Fruit

Botanical Nomenclature: Muntingia Calabura Common name: Jamaica Cherry, Panama Berry, Strawberry Tree, Jam tree, Malayan Cherry Family: Muntingiaceae Division: Magnoliophyta Class: Magnoliopsida Order: Malvales Genre: Muntingia This is a very fast-growing tree reaching 7.5-12 m. in height, with spreading, nearly horizontal branches. The leaves are oblong & pointed at the ends 5-12.5 cm long, dark-green on the upper surface, & somewhat hairy on the underside.. The flowers grow in 2’s or 3’s from where leaf attaches to the branch. The flowers are tiny, 1.25-2 cm wide, & last less than a day, typically dropping off the tree in the afternoon! Each tree produces many round, small (1-1.25 cm) fruits, with red or sometimes yellow, smooth, thin skin. The fruits are very sweet & delicious, comparable in taste to a fig, & contain many tiny seeds Geographic Distribution The Muntingia calabura is indigenous to southern Mexico, Central America, tropical South America, the Greater Antilles, St. Vincent & Trinidad. It is widely cultivated in warm areas of the New World & in India, Southeast Asia, Malaya, Indonesia, Philippines, & the Thailand. Food Uses The Muntingia calabura is widely eaten by children out-of-hand, though it is somewhat sticky to handle. It is often cooked in tarts & made into jam. The leaf infusion is drunk as a tea-like beverage. Medicinal Uses The flowers are said to possess antiseptic properties. An infusion of the flowers is valued as an antispasmodic. It is taken to relieve headache & the first symptoms of a cold. Other Uses Wood: The sapwood is yellowish, the heartwood red-dish-brown, firm, compact, fine-grained, moderately strong, light in weight, durable indoors, easily worked, & useful for interior sheathing, small boxes, casks, & general carpentry. It is valued mostly as fuel, for it ignites quickly, burns with intense heat & gives off very little smoke. Jamaicans seek out trees blown down by storms, let them dry for a while & then cut them up, preferring this to any other wood for cooking. It is being evaluated in Brazil as a source of paper pulp. Bark: The bark is commonly used for lashing together the supports of rural houses. It yields a very strong, soft fiber for twine & large ropes. Ecology Typical pioneer species on disturbed sites in tropical lowlands up to 1,000 m altitude, preferably on slightly acid soil. Hardiness Zone: 9, 10 Sun Requirement: Full Sun, Semi-Shade Water Requirement: Moderate Minimum Temperature Indoors: 60 F Muntingia Calabura 50 Seeds Jamaican Cherry Rare Tropical Sweet Fruit