Growables
Growables.org is a continually evolving source of knowledge from educational institutions, government resources and world specific sites relating to edibles. We disseminate this information globally.
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Growables Not a species, but a hybrid created in Florida between cherimoya (Annona cherimola) and sugar apple (A. squamosa). One of the best Annonas, often sweeter and fruitier flavored than the cherimoya. Typically 1 to 2 lb, custard-like flesh. Grows in hot tropical areas. The first cross was...
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Growables The large, lustrous dark green evergreen leaves and low-branching, open canopy of Avocado makes it a wonderful shade tree but it is most often grown for the abundant production of its well-known, delicious, buttery fruits.1 Races and cultivars The avocados cultivated in the United...
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Growables Edible bananas originated in the Indo-Malaysian region reaching to northern Australia. They were known only by hearsay in the Mediterranean region in the 3rd Century B.C., and are believed to have been first carried to Europe in the 10th Century A.D. Early in the 16th Century,...
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Growables The Barbados cherry is native to the Lesser Antilles from St. Croix to Trinidad, also Curacao and Margarita and neighboring northern South America as far south as Brazil. It has become naturalized in Cuba, Jamaica and Puerto Rico after cultivation, and is commonly grown in dooryards in...
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Growables This species has an extensive natural range, from Peru and northern Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil and northward to Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia and southern Mexico; Trinidad, the Lesser Antilles including Guadeloupe, Martinique and St. Vincent; and Puerto Rico and Hispaniola. It is much...
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Growables Origin The black sapote is native along both coasts of Mexico from Jalisco to Chiapas, Veracruz and Yucatan and in the forested lowlands of Central America, and it is frequently cultivated throughout this range.3 Description Black sapote trees are adapted to tropical and warm...
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Growables The breadfruit (A. communis) is known from Polynesia of course, but it is believed to have been introduced there long ago from the island of New Guinea, the Moluccas, and Melanesia.5 Description The breadfruit tree is handsome and fast growing, reaching 85 ft (26 m) in height, often...
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Growables Origin Origin of this tropical understory tree in the family of the Sterculiaceae are the Amazon Headwaters from where it moved to Central America. Cocoa cultivation began by Mayan tribes in Central America, ca. 1500 BC. Description There are two distinct types of cocoa, Criollo types...
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Growables Origin Southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, and El Salvador1 Description The canistel bears an outstanding fruit, showy, flavorful, nutritious, and useful. Yet the species is rarely seen outside tropical fruit collections. The tree is attractive and requires little maintenance. It comes...
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Growables Origin The carambola is believed to have originated in Ceylon and the Moluccas but it has been cultivated in southeast Asia and Malaysia for many centuries.2 The generic name is after Averrhoes (1126-98), the widely known Arab Philosopher. The specific name, ‘carambola’, is said to have...
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Growables Origin Southern Africa (KwaZulu/Natal) Description The carissa is widely grown in Florida as an ornamental hedge. The plant is tough, can tolerate unfavorable conditions and will grow on barrier islands. The glossy, dark green foliage and beautiful white flowers provide visual appeal....
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Growables Description Chaya, an important perennial vegetable, is a vigorous and attractive large leafy shrub, particularly tolerant of poor growing conditions. Leaves Dark green, alternate, simple, slick surfaced often with some hairs, and palmately lobed (much like the leaves of okra). Each...
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Growables Origin Annona cherimolaMiller, the cherimoya, is thought to originate from cold but frost-free valleys of the Andes (southern Ecuador and northern Peru) at an altitude of between 700 and 2400 m.3 The name Cherimoya originates from the Quechua word chirimuya, which means “cold seeds,”...
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Growables Origin Comparatively little is known about the origin and early distribution of the coconut palm, probably because it was so widely spread throughout the tropical areas of the world so many years ago. However, the coconut palm is believed to be native to the Malay Archipelago or the...
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Growables Origin Although it is said thatA. reticulatais a native of the Antilles. the presence in Guatemala and Belize of a wild variety,A. reticulatavar.primigenia, and also of a very wide variability of cultivars suggests that this zone is the species' area of origin. It has been introduced in...
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Growables Origin The fig originated in the Old World Tropics, Asia Minor and the Mediterranean region. In the Mediterranean, the fig has been cultivated since as early as 5,000 BC. The fig tree was first introduced to the Americas in 1575 by Spanish explorers in Florida. On the West Coast, in the...
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Growables Origin The guava originated in the American tropics, probably in Central America. It was widely distributed prior to the arrival of the Europeans.5 The Glorious Guava, history of the guava, Edible South Florida Description The common guava is easy to grow and tolerates adverse...
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Growables Origin Jaboticaba is native to Brazil to the hillside regions around Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.9 Description The names jaboticaba, jabbuticaba, and yabuticaba are often used to describe four similar species ofMyrciaria.1 The jaboticaba ranks as one of the most desirable species...
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Growables Origin No one really knows the Jackfruit's place of origin but it is believed to be indigenous to the rain forests of the Western Ghats.2 Description The jackfruit is the world's largest tree-borne fruit. The fruit can take on the proportions of a large watermelon and can weigh more...
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Growables Description Perennial. Monoecious (having both the male and female reproductive organs).A rapidly growing warm season crop, katuk is a dark green leaf understory shrub. Growth slows during the colder months. Reaching up to 3.5 m in height, but is kept much lower in cultivation. It has...
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Growables Origin Native to Asia, longan was introduced here in the early 1900s and is grown in Hawai'i, California, and South Florida. There are numerous cultivars of longan; 'Kohala' is the variety most planted in Florida.4 In 1954, rare-fruit pioneer William Whitman introduced the superior...
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Growables Origin The loquat is indigenous to southeastern China and possibly southern Japan, though it may have been introduced into Japan in very early times. It is said to have been cultivated in Japan for over 1, 000 years. The western world first learned of it from the botanist Kaempfer in...
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Growables Origin The lychee (Litchi chinensis) is the sole member of the genus Litchi in the soapberry family, Sapindaceae. It is a tropical and subtropical fruit tree native to the Guangdong and Fujian provinces of China, and now cultivated in many parts of the world. China is the main producer...
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Growables Origin: Macadamia integrifoliais native to southeastern Queensland where it grows in the rain forests and close to streams. M. tetraphylla is native to southeastern Queensland and northeastern New South Wales, growing in rain forests, in moist places and along stream banks. At the point...
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Growables Origin Mangos originated in the Indo-Burma region and are indigenous to India and Southeast Asia.1 Distribution Mangos are grown in tropical and subtropical lowlands throughout the world.
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Growables Origin Monstera is indigenous to the hot, humid, tropical forests of Mexico, Guatemala, Costa Rica, and Panama.2 Description Monstera is a fast growing broadleaf vine with a cylindrical, thick stem 2 to 4 inches (5–10 cm) in diameter that may grow along the ground or, if allowed, will...
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Growables Origin Nasturtium is native to the South American Andes from Bolivia to Columbia.3 Description The plant is a succulent, climbing annual. Each round smooth pea-green leaf is attached at its center to a slender round petiole. Leaves range from 2 to 5 inches in diameter. It produces...
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Growables Origin Though the exact area of origin is unknown, the papaya is believed native to tropical America, perhaps in southern Mexico and neighboring Central America. It is recorded that seeds were taken to Panama and then the Dominican Republic before 1525 and cultivation spread to warm...
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Growables Origin Passionfruit is a native of southern Brazil where it grows on the edges of rain forests. There are two distinct forms: formaedulis, the purple passionfruit, occurs in cool environments at higher altitudes, whereas formaflavicarpa, the yellow passionfruit, is at home in the...
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Growables Origin Originally from South America, peanuts are grown in the warm climates of Asia, Africa, Australia, and North America. Peanuts are grown commercially in 13 states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Oklahoma, South...
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Growables Origin Native to Northern and Western South America: Venezuela and Columbia. Naturalized In Southern America: Caribbean (Grenada; Guadeloupe; Martinique; Montserrat; Puerto Rico); Northern and Western South America: Guayana; Suriname, Bolivia; Ecuador; Peru and Brazil. Description This...
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Growables Origin Pineapple has apparently been cultivated by indigenous people of the tropical Americas and the Caribbean Region for thousands of years. New World explorers then distributed pineapple during the 1500s to 1700s to new areas including Europe, Africa, and Asia. The commercial export...
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Growables Origin Pomegranates (Punica granatum) have been popular fruit throughout human history and are experiencing a surge in popularity at present due to the health benefits associated with their juice. Widely grown for their edible fruits, they are equally valuable as ornamental plants....
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Growables Description H. sabdariffavar.sabdariffa(Roselle) is important for food, whileH. sabdariffavar.altissimaWester is important for it's high quality fiber. Roselle is a common garden plant in the tropics and grows readily in Florida. Many parts of the plant, including the seeds, leaves,...
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Growables Origin The sapodilla is believed native to Yucatan and possibly other nearby parts of southern Mexico, as well as northern Belize and Northeastern Guatemala. In this region there were once 100,000,000 trees. The species is found in forests throughout Central America where it has...
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Growables Origin The soursop originated in the lowlands of Central America. Oviedo, in 1526, described the soursop as abundant in the West Indies and in northern South America. It is today found in Bermuda and the Bahamas, and both wild and cultivated, from sea-level to an altitude of 3,500 ft...
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Growables Origin The original home of the sugar apple is unknown. It is commonly cultivated in tropical South America, not often in Central America, very frequently in southern Mexico, the West Indies, Bahamas and Bermuda, and occasionally in southern Florida.6 Description Annona squamosais a...
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Growables Origin Several species ofSaccharumare found in Southeast Asia and neighboring islands, and from these cultivated cane probably originated. The sweet juice and crystallized sugar were known in China and India some 2500 years ago. Sugar cane reached the Mediterranean countries in the...
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Growables Origin A native of Southeastern Asia, where it grows in grasslands, stream banks, and disturbed sites.3Native to China, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Myanmar, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines. Cultivated in China, Japan, India, Papua New Guinea, Solomon...
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A frost-tender, tropical, evergreen tree, tamarind is densely foliated with pale green, compound, feathery leaflets which give the broad, spreading crown a light, airy effect. Tamarind may reach heights of 65 feet and a spread of 50 feet but is more often seen smaller. The delicate leaflets cast...
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Growables Origin Watermelons are indigenous to tropical Africa, where they are found wild on both sides of the equator. They were developed from a native African vine. Their cultivation by man dates back 4,000 years to the ancient Egyptians, as proven by artistic records. Watermelons spread from...
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Growables Origin Highlands of central Mexico and Central America.2 Description The white sapote is a species with great potential as a dooryard fruit in Florida. Despite its name, it does not belong to the Sapote family, but is a distant citrus relative. The flavor of the custard like pulp ranges...