Eugenia involucrata

Eugenia involucrata, the Cherry of the Rio Grande, is an evergreen shrub native to Brazil which bears small fruits that are dark red to purple in color and have a sweet cherry-like flavor. They are hardy to 20 °F (−7 °C) when mature, though younger plants should be protected from frosts.

Description

A small tree. It grows 5-8 m high. It grows 10-15 m high in forest. The crown is oval. The trunk is 30-40 cm across. The bark is thin and peels off. The leaves are simple and opposite. They have short leaf stalks. They are 5-9 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The flowers occur singly in the axils of leaves. They have long stalks. The fruit are narrowly oval and bright red. They are shiny and have a green stalk. The pulp is sweet and juicy and with 1 or 2 large seeds.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw and made into jams and jellies. Rich in pectin. The fruits are eaten fresh out of hand, juiced, preserved, or used to make liqueurs. A thick, fleshy, succulent pulp with a very pleasant, sweet or subacid flavour. The reddish-purple fruit is about 30mm long and 20mm wide.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten raw. The fruit are used for jellies, ice cream and liqueurs. They are also used for jam.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. In Brazil if grows in semi-deciduous broadleaf forest. In Argentina it grows between sea level and 1,200 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil*, Mexico, Paraguay, South America, Uruguay,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seeds. The ripe fruit are harvested and the seeds removed. The seeds are dried in the shade. Seed can only be stored for 2 weeks. The fresh seed are planted and germinate in 30-40 days.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A high germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 30 - 40 days. Seedlings grow away slowly.

Other Uses

The wood is compact, moderately heavy, elastic, of good natural durability. It is used for making tool handles and other agricultural implements. The wood is used for making charcoal.

Production

Plants grow slowly.

Other Information

It is a cultivated fruit tree. The fruit are popular.

Notes

There are about 550 Eugenia species. They are mostly in tropical and subtropical South America.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Arcazeiro, Araza-hay, Cereja-da-terra, Cereja, Cerejeira, Cerajeira-do-mato, Cereja-do-mato, Cerejeira, Cerejo-do-rio-grande, Cerella, Ceresa, Cereza, Cereza del monte, Dzika, Guaviyu, Sanguinto, Wisnia

References (21)

• Alimenticias - FloraSBS
• Brack, P., et al, 2020, Frutas nativas do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: riqueza e potencial alimentício. Native fruits of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: richness and potential as food. Rodriguésia 71: e03102018.
• Brazil: Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition. http://www.b4fn.org/countries/brazil/
• Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 238
• Hunter, D., et al, 2019, The potential of neglected and underutilized species for improving diets and nutrition. Planta (2019) 250:709-729

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