All about fruits
FRUITS are common sights in Davao City. They simply abound. But because they're regularly seen, we do not give much attention to the facts behind these fruits.
Here are a few rundown of the more common fruits we see around throughout the year.
Durian (Durio zibethinus)
Having one of the most pungent odors of any fruit in the world, the durian is either scorned or adored. Many regale its nutty, caramel tasting flesh, calling
the durian the king of all fruits. Fruit is very large, sometimes over one foot long, and is covered in sharp, hard spikes.
Native to peninsular Malaysia and Borneo. Currently cultivated throughout southeast Asia and northern Australia. It is related to at least nine other fruit and tree species.
Marang (Artocarpus odoratissimus Blco.)
Large yellow-brown fruit covered with spiny protrubences. Fruits usually grow to 6-8". Flesh is white, juicy, with a strong smell and sweetish flavor. It is native to Borneo and the Southern Philippines. Family Moraceae: A medium-sized tree, its leaves are broadly elliptic to obovate. The fruits are subglobose, densely covered with stiff, pointed protrusions. The flesh is white, juicy, fragrant, and edible. This plant is indigenous to Borneo and southern Philippines and is related to the breadfruit and jackfruit and 13 other species.
Pomelo (Citrus maxima)
a.k.a. Pummelo, Suha, Boongon
The largest citrus in the world, the pummelo can reach 12" in diameter. Skin is usually yellow, with white or pinkish colored flesh. Flavor is excellent, sweetish-acidic.
Small to medium sized tree, usually only 10-20ft high, but may grow to 50ft under ideal conditions. The pomelo is frost hardy, but grows best in warmer
climates with lots of rainfall. It is an ideal choice for tropical zones, but also grows well in subtropical climates. Trees also grow well in swampy damp soil and are often found growing wild along river banks and streams. Trees can flower up to four times a year. Native to southeast Asia and a number of Pacific
Islands and is a member of the huge citrus family.
Coconut (Cocos nucifera)
Large, round, hard shelled brown nut with a white pulp and hollow interior containing a milky juice. Medium sized to tall palm tree often to only 25-30ft,
but sometimes much higher. The coconut is tropical.
The coconut is well adapted to salty and sandy conditions and is often found growing along seasides and beaches. Grow in full sun. Trees are resistant to high winds and often withstand hurricanes. The exact origin is unknown, though likely Asia. The coconut is probably one of the most common palm trees on the planet, growing in almost every tropical zone. It belongs to the family Palmae.
Star Fruit (Averrhoa carambola)
a.k.a. Balimbing, Carambola, Belimbing (Malaysia),
Carambolier (French), Ma Fueng (Thailand), Fuang
(Laos), Khe (Vietnam)
A small and slow-growing tree to 20-30ft, the star fruit is best adapted in the warm tropics from sea level to 2000ft, but can be grown in unusual conditions in the subtropics, provided the plant is protected from extreme cold. Growth stops below 55-60F, and adult trees can be killed at prolonged temperatures below 28F.
Origin unknown, but probably native to Malaysia, Indonesia and Southern China. The star fruit has never been located in the wild. It was domesticated
throughout India and southeast Asia in prehistoric times, and was established in the American tropics 150 years ago. It is related to the iba (Averrhoa
bilimbi).
Avocado (Persea americana)
a.k.a Alligator Pear
Green to black, knobby fruit having roughly the size and shape of a pear. Today it is one of the most common tropical fruits, grown worldwide and having numerous uses.
The avocado is a fast-growing subtropical tree that can reach 80ft in ideal conditions. Trees are usually quite dense in foliage and often have a spreading
growth form. Depending on the climate, avocado's may produce numerous flushes of new growth each year.
Native to Southern Mexico, but avocados were cultivated for hundreds of years throughout the America's and are subsequently found almost everywhere. It is related to the cinnamon.
Breadfruit (Artocarpus altilis)
a.k.a. Rimas, pulo
Large, bowling ball sized fruit, usually yellow-green in color, with hard, starchy white flesh. Fruit is either eaten fresh cooked (usually baked or boiled) and served hot, or eaten unripe as a vegetable. The breadfruit is one of the most important food crops for southeast Asia and the Pacific islands, with
cultivation dating back hundreds of years.
Large tree to 90ft when full grown. The breadfruit is ultra-tropical and will not survive temperatures below 40F. It is one of the most difficult tropical fruits to grow outside of tropical zones. Growth stops and trees decline when temperatures drop below 60F or above 95F. Leaves are large, multi-lobed.
Native to Malaysia, Indonesia, and numerous islands of the South Pacific. Was spread by early Polynesians throughout the Pacific and into Hawaii. The breadfruit later spread throughout the Americas upon European colonization.
Among the local species it is related to are the jackfruit and marang.
Atis (Annona squamosa)
a.k.a Sugar Apple
A small (2-4"), knobby fruit with soft, creamy white flesh often having a minty or custardy flavor. The sugar apple is extremely popular throughout the
tropics, especially in climates where the cherimoya can not be grown.
It is interestingly related to guyabano (soursop) and the fragrant Ylang-ylang.
Small, deciduous tree to 15-25ft, spreading to the same size. Trees loose leaves in the winter for about 4-6 weeks. Leaves are 6-8" long. Can take temperatures
to 27F and the plant generally adapts well to a variety of soil types.
Origin unknown, but believed to be native to Central America or the West Indies.
Guyabano (Annona muricata)
a.k.a. Soursop
Here's atis' relative. A well-known fruit throughout much of the world, the soursop's delicious white pulp, with tones of fruit candy and smooth cream is
commonplace in tropical markets, but is rarely found fresh anywhere else. Inside its thin, leathery, green flesh is a large mass of creamy pulp, usually intermixed with 50-100 black seeds.
Generally a small-medium tree to 8m/25ft. Soursop trees require much warmth and humidity, lots of water. In the tropics, soursops are grown from sea level to
1000m, particularly in humid regions where the tree grows particularly well. Soursop's cannot tolerate standing water, and its roots are shallow, so it does
not require a very deep soil base. Native to the West Indies, today the soursop has spread throughout the humid tropics and is widely grown commercially.
Guava (Psidium guajava)
a.k.a. Bayabas
Highly fragrant fruit usually with green or yellow skin, about the size of a baseball, with pink or white flesh. The guava is one of the most common fruits in the world and its sweet pulp is used in a wide assortment of drinks, desserts, and other food products.
A shrub or small tree, sometimes growing as high as 30ft, but usually no more than 10-15ft. Guava's grow well in full sun, except in hot regions, where partial shade is beneficial.
It is related to almost 50 species belonging to the Myrtaceae family.
Langka (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
a.k.a. Jackfruit, Nangka
The largest tree borne fruit in the world, jackfruits can sometimes weigh over 75 lbs. Average sized fruits are 1-2 feet long, and 9-12" wide.
Very large tree growing to 90+ feet in ideal conditions. The trunk, branches, and leaves contain a gummy latex. The jackfruit is mildly hardy, surviving short frosts and temperatures to 28F for brief periods.
It is related to the breadfruit, and the marang.
Mangosteen (Garcinia mangostana)
Purported by many who have had the luxury of tasting it as being the best tasting fruit in the world. While possibly a bit extreme, the mangosteen is instantly liked by many who eat it.
Small tree between 5m/15ft. Mature trees die below 40F and above 100F, seedlings can die at 45F. Trees are highly sensitive to soil and alkalinity.
Native to the Malay peninsula. Cultivated in Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines.
While it looks unique, it is actually related to nine other plants and fruits.
Mango (Mangifera indica)
The mango may be the world's most well-known, and most popular fruit. There are countless varieties, but most have green, red, or yellow skin, with yellow-orange, aromatic flesh having a unique sweetish flavor. Beautiful, large tropical tree to 50-80ft. Mango trees are not strictly tropical and can be grown in areas where frost and short freezes occur.
There are two main races of mango, the Southeast Asian varieties which have red and green colored fruit, and the Philippines varieties which have yellow colored
fruit. The Asian varieties are not tolerant of humidity, while the Philippines varieties are.
It is native to Southern Asia and Eastern India and belongs to the family Anacardiaceae.
Papaya (Carica papaya)
a.k.a. Paw Paw
Green, orange, or yellow fruit, often quite large and weighing several pounds. Fruits tend to be very fleshy, with an inside cavity containing numerous seeds.
Very fast growing, perennial herb. While papaya's look much like a tree, they are not, and do not develop bark characteristic of trees. The plants typically
grow 10-20ft tall, but may bear when only a few feet high.
Native to tropical America, it is now grown worldwide in tropical and subtropical areas as a commercial crop.
It belongs to the family Caricaciae.
Passion Fruit (Passiflora edulis)
a.k.a. Purple Passion Fruit, Granadilla
The common edible passion fruit. Grown around the world, produces egg sized fruit filled with wonderfully tart, bright orange pulp. A vigorous vine, especially in the tropics, the passion fruit can grow over 20ft in a single year.
Pruning is a must to keep the vine healthy. Native to South America, from Paraguay, Brazil, and Argentina. The passion fruit is now grown around the world, and sizable feral populations now occur in Asia, Australia, and Hawaii.
Belonging to genus Passiflora, there are around 20 other fruiting vines related to it.
Pineapple (Ananas comosus)
Very common tropical fruit coming in several varieties, all with sweetish, acidic flavor. A 2-5ft tall bromeliad. Leaves are 1-6ft long, frond-like, with small razored edges. Pineapples enjoy acidic soil, lots of water, full sun, and warm temperatures. They are drought tolerant. While they are hardy to 28-32F, growth stops below 55F. It is native to Brazil and Paraguay.
Rambutan (Nephelium lappaceum)
Golf ball sized fruit related to the lychee, with red or yellow skin, having numerous prominent hairs extending from the surface. Flesh is translucent, with
an excellent sweet flavor, milder than the lychee.
Medium to large sized tree up to 80ft. The rambutan is strictly tropical and grows best in warm, humid, tropical climates, with year round rainfall.
Native to Malaysia and grown commercially in tropical Asia and tropical America.
It is related to the longan (Dimocarpus longan), and the lychee (Litchi chinensis). And yes, the hairless rambutan is actually another specie - Nephelium xerospermoides.
Santol (Sandoricum koetjape)
Apple sized fruit with juicy, translucent pulp that can have a sweet or sour flavor. Large, fast-growing tree from 50-150ft tall. Leaves are arranged in leaflets of three. Santol's are tropical but will stand brief periods of frost.
Native to Cambodia, Laos and Malaysia, it has spread throughout India, Indonesia, the Philippines, and many Pacific Islands.
It belongs to the family and has only one other fruit that it's related to, something called Langsat (Lansium domesticum).
Star Apple (Chrysophyllum cainito)
a.k.a. Caimito
Round, baseball sized fruit that when cut has a core that takes on a star shape. Pulp is soft and sweet. The star apple usually comes in two forms, either the
dark purple skinned variety with red-purple pulp, or the green skinned variety with clear-white pulp.
A medium to large sized tree from 25-80ft high. Leaves are very pretty, with a glossy green surface, and a shimmering gold velvety underside. Star apples are tropical, and will not survive more than a couple of degrees of frost.
Native to tropical America, from the Carribean through Central America, it is now grown commercially in Central and South America as well as tropical Asia and
Africa. Occasionally grown commercially in parts of south Florida.
Belonging to the family Sapotaceae, there are a lot of species it is related to.
Tamarind (Tamarindus indica)
a.k.a. Sampalok, Tamarindo
Brown, podded fruit with brittle flaky skin and a deep brown-red, sticky pulp that surrounds several hard seeds. The pulp has a very unique sweet-sour-spicy
flavor that is extensively used for flavoring.
Large, slow growing tree to 80ft, with a canopy of up to 30ft. The tamarind is highly adaptable to somewhat arid conditions and can withstand both high heat and periods of drought. They are hardy to 28F.
Native to tropical regions of Northern Africa, the tree was long ago established in India and the Americas, and heavily cultivated in both of these regions.
It is related to the camachile (Pithecellobium dulce), which is also known among international tropical plant enthusiasts as Manila Tamarind. (Stella A. Estremera)
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