TROPICAL & SUBTROPICAL FRUITS FOR ORANGE COUNTY
Except Citrus (for Citrus)
When growing any of the plants on this list keep in mind that many are still
experimental and exact cultural practices have yet to be determined. Nothing on
this list is foolproof, which is part of the adventure, but all have been
successfully grown here. No guarantees!
The biggest challenge with many tropical plants is the root rot disease that
can occur during our cool wet winter weather. Most tropical plants are evergreen
and require healthy roots all year. Roots require oxygen as well as water to
remain healthy. Most organic amendments consume oxygen as they decompose. Soils
that are heavily amended with organic materials can easily become oxygen
deficient when waterlogged. We prefer the soil near the roots be strictly
mineral. Apply ample organic mulch, but keep it out of the root zone. Most
tropicals can be planted using the technique found on our 'Avocado Planting
Guide'.
Easy and fast growing, but some vigilance is required. The common commercial
'Chiquita' bananas are varieties in the Cavendish family (see text). Bananas
like well draining soil, and lots of fertilizer and water during warm weather. A
good harvest requires a warm spot out of strong wind and timing of your crop.
Each banana plant continuously sends up new trunks. Each trunk lives about 15-30
months during which it grows, makes fruit, and dies. The banana fruit clusters
requires about 4-8 months to ripen. The trick is to get the banana stalk to
flower in mid spring, so that there is plenty of time for the resulting fruit to
develop during consistently warm weather before winter.
Each variety is different in the length of time taken from the initial
emerging stem to harvest. The new sprouts (pups) emerge from the base of the
main stem and require thinning. It is best not to allow more than 1 or 2 pups to
mature each year. All foliage may be killed by temperature below 35 F, but trunk
quickly releafs. The trunk may be killed to the ground by temperatures below 30
F.
The different varieties differ greatly in their tolerance of cold weather and
wind. Most banana varieties must be supported (propped up) when clusters are
ripening.
Brazilian 20' tall. 5" long fruit in bunches 30-50 lbs. excellent flavor and firm, smooth texture. Long shelf life. Good tolerance to cold and wind.
Dwarf Brazilian (Santa Catarina Prata, Dwarf Hawaiian Apple) 15' tall. 24 months to harvest. Similar to Brazilian but even more wind resistant. Fruiting stems need no support. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. OUR BEST VARIETY!
Cardaba 15' tall. 8" long triangular fruit. Sweet tart orange flesh is eaten fresh or cooked. 18 months to harvest. Extreme cold tolerance.
Enano Gigante 11' tall. Commercial banana in large bunches of 50+ lbs. Fair tolerance to cold.
Golden Pillow 14' tall. 4" long, fat fruit in bunches 20-30 lbs. Excellent and superior to Manzano. 20 months to harvest.
Goldfinger 13' tall. 6" fruit with excellent flavor and texture in bunches 40-100 lbs. Good tolerance to cold. Hybrid between Brazilian and Commercial.
Grand Nain 7' tall. 8" long commercial banana in bunches over 50 lbs. Fair tolerance to cold.
Ice Cream (Java Blue) 18' tall. 6" long powder blue fruit with excellent soft, sweet, flesh in bunches to 50lbs. 24 months to harvest. Very good tolerance to cold.
Jamaican Red (Cuban red) 22' tall. Beautiful with various shades of red occur on the trunk, leaf stems, veins and fruit. 4" long fruit with red skin and aromatic orange, strongly flavored flesh. 30 months to harvest. Very sensitive to cold.
Dwarf Jamaican Red (Dwarf Cuban Red) 7" tall. Dwarf form of Jamaican Red is less impressive in appearance. 28 months to harvest.
Kaulau 15" tall. 6" long plump fruit with yellow flesh in very large bunches to 60+ lbs. The Hawaiian cooking banana.
Ladyfinger (Ney Poovan) 22' tall. 4" long fruit with sweet, rich, firm flesh in bunches to 50 lbs. Fairly wind and drought tolerant.
Manzano (Apple) 10' tall. 4" long plump fruit with strong apple flavor in bunches of 20-40 lbs. 15 months (quickest) to harvest. Eaten cooked or fresh and is super astringent until dead ripe. Good cold tolerance.
Mysore 16' tall. 4" fruit with very sweet flesh in bunches to 50 lbs. 20 months to harvest. Good cold tolerance.
Dwarf Orinoco 7' tall. Large angular fruit with salmon flesh in small clusters. Best when cooked. Has been grown in S. California for over a hundred years.
Popoulu 14' tall. 6" long stubby fruit with pink, apple flavored flesh. Eaten fresh or cooked. Best in filtered shade with ample moisture.
Rajapuri 9' tall. Small fruit with sweet, tasty flesh in small bunches. Tolerates cold and wind well.
Tuu Ghia 15' tall. Long, thin curved fruit with intense flavor in large bunches. New variety from Vietnam has produced well on the coast.
Valery 12' tall. Commercial banana in bunches of 50+ lbs. Sensitive to cold but hardier than most commercial varieties.
Williams 13' tall. Commercial banana in bunches of 50+ lbs. Similar to
Valery.
Avocados can be difficult to grow if needs are not met. Most of Orange County is in the 'avocado belt' of California where the temperatures are ideal. Avocado trees require ample moisture, good drainage and soil with a high oxygen content. Avocados can succumb to root rot, sunburn, high alkalinity, and drought. Newly planted trees need almost daily irrigation when the temperature is above 80 F. Please consult our 'Avocado Planting Guide' for details.
Avocados are at least partially self-fertile within most of Orange County.
The latest research (UCR spring 2001) shows that cross-pollination of Hass with
Zutano creates substantially larger crops in Oxnard. In humid Florida it has
been found that avocados are essentially self-fertile. Current research suggests
that type A avocados are generally more self-fertile than type B avocados. The
most important factor besides bees is warm temperatures during the bloom period.
For this reason, the latest blooming varieties (Reed is the last to bloom) are
generally more consistent producers. For best results it is preferable to grow
both type A and type B varieties within 25 feet of each other.
Bacon type B Fruit medium size with thin green skin and good flavor. Bears young and heavily. Ripens November-March. Tree is medium height and upright.
Fuerte type B Fruit medium size with thin green skin and excellent flavor. Sporadic production. Ripens November-June. Tree is tall and spreading.
Gwen type A Fruit medium size with thick pebbly green skin and excellent flavor. Bears extremely heavily. Ripens March-November. Tree is relatively short. New variety! RECOMMENDED.
Hass type A Fruit medium size with thick pebbly black skin and excellent flavor. Bears heavily. Ripens April-October. Tree is medium tall. THE PRIMARY COMMERCIAL AVOCADO.
Holiday type A&B Large pear-shaped fruit with green skin and extra rich flavor. Ripens October-January. Dwarf tree.
Littlecado (Wurtz) type A&B Fruit small with green skin and good flavor, similar to, but not quite as good as Fuerte. Bears lightly. Ripens May-September. Small compact tree.
Mexicola type A Small fruit with thin purple skin and strong nutty flavor. Ripens fall. Small to medium size tree.
Pinkerton type A Fruit medium size with thick green skin and excellent flavor. Bears heavily. Ripens October-January. Tree is medium height and spreading. OUTSTANDING, however, the early bloom often makes for poor fruit set.
Reed type A Fruit large with thick green skin and excellent flavor. Bears heavily. Ripens June-November. Tree is medium and upright. PERHAPS THE FINEST EATING AVOCADO AND DEFINITLY THE MOST CONSISTENT PRODUCER.
Zutano type B Fruit medium size with thin green skin and good flavor.
Bears heavily. Ripens December- January. Tree is large and upright.
Delicious fruit looks like an alligator-strawberry cross and tastes like a
mixture of pineapple, banana, and papaya. Requires hand pollination (only one
tree needed-see cherimoya pollination handout) Average soil decent drainage. Can
be grown as an espalier or as a tree to 20 feet tall. Drops foliage in the
spring, then blooms, and grows leaves. Blooms continue until fall. All varieties
of Cherimoya taste very good to excellent. It is pointless to describe each
variety in detail because the characteristics of the fruit vary greatly
depending on the local climate. Cherimoyas grow best within 15 miles if the S.
Calif. Coast. Some of the best-grafted varieties are described below:
El Bumpo Medium to large fruit with bumpy edible skin of excellent
quality. Few seeds. Ripens winter to spring.
Honeyhart Medium size fruit with smooth skin and excellent quality. Few seeds. Ripens late fall to spring.
Knight (Bays, Ott) Medium to large fruit with smooth skin and very
good lemon flavor. Ripens winter. Spreading tree. Best near coast.
Dark red 1-inch diameter fruit with fragile skin, soft sweet juicy flesh with a
sweet cherry flavor. Harvest spring. Self-fertile but heavier crops when
cross-pollinated. The handsome evergreen shrub or small tree with small glossy
green leaves and marble-like exfoliating bark grows 10-15 feet tall. Provide
ample water and good drainage. Hardy to 20 F.
Easy to grow tasty fruit. The egg-shaped green fruit has a skin that is tough
and tart, but the pulp and tiny seeds are delicious. Taste is like a mix of
pineapple and banana. The plant is highly ornamental and can be grown as a
6-foot bush or as a small tree 10-20 feet tall. Hardy to 15 F. Provide sun,
average soil and water. Somewhat drought tolerant when established. Attractive
flower show late spring and early summer. The edible white petals are sweet and
perfumy. Fruit ripens in the fall. The best quality of fruit requires milder
coastal climate. For best production and fruit quality plant 2 or more
varieties. Some of the best are:
Coolidge Medium size mildly flavored fruit of good quality. Self-fertile.
Nazemetz Large pear shaped fruit of excellent quality. Very sweet smooth pulp and a thin skin. Self-fertile. BEST.
Easy to grow tasty fruit. Small 1-2 inch round fruit with small hard seeds. The
flesh is sweet and flavorful. The highly ornamental plant can be grown as a bush
or a small tree to 15 feet tall. Selective pruning can create an attractive
dooryard specimen. There are several crops per year. Provide sun, average soil,
ample water. Hardy to 20 F. There are 2 kinds:
Red Strawberry Guava 1-inch fruit has red skin, a strong strawberry flavor and a small hard seeds. The plant has dense glossy green foliage.
Yellow Strawberry Guava 1-2 inch fruit has yellow skin, a milder sweet flavor and smaller softer seeds. The plant has larger coarser less glossy foliage. GOOD.
Easy to grow tasty fruit. Prized by many cultures but may be unappealing to the
uninitiated. Fruit size ranges from egg-size to apple-size. The skin is yellow
when fully ripe and the flesh is sweet and creamy with a musky aroma. There are
usually many small hard seeds in the central cavity. The plant is ornamental and
semi-evergreen. Foliage drop and stem dieback occur with hard frosts. Hardy to
26 F.
Many varieties are offered. Some varieties are grown from seed, some are
propagated by grafting, and some are propagated by air-layering. Grafted and
air-layered plants are more expensive to produce, but are more reliably true to
type and produce at an earlier age. Seed grown plants are less expensive, but
fruit size and quality are not assured.
China White (Thai Giant, Bangkok Apple) very large (more than 1 pound) rounded fruit with firm white sweet flesh and a small seed cavity. Dwarf tree. Usually eaten when flesh is crunchy.
Beaumont medium to large (8 ounce), round fruit, pink flesh, mild flavor, seedy. Excellent for canning and juice. Vigorous, spreading, and productive tree. From Hawaii.
Mexican Cream Small fruit with creamy white flesh and a spicy flavor. Small tree.
Red Malaysian reddish foliage and skin color.
South African pink-fleshed pear shaped fruit with excellent mild flavor. Can be eaten when crisp.
Tropic Pink Large fruit with sweet pink flesh.
Tropic White Medium size rounded fruit with sweet white flesh. From Central America.
White Indian Very large round fruit with crispy white flesh.
Very popular in Asia, the Mediterranean region, and Central America. The sweet,
tangy fruit has yellow to orange skin and flesh and is from 1-3 inches in size.
Usually contains 1-5 large seeds. The small tree (8-25 feet) is evergreen,
highly ornamental, and drought resistant. Very easy to grow. Hardy to 20 F.
Fruit ripens in winter-spring .can be grown from seed (fruiting within 4 years)
but is usually grafted for best fruit quality. Some varieties are self-fertile,
but many require cross-pollination. Some popular varieties include:
Big Jim Very large fruit to 2 inches in diameter, with pale orange skin and flesh. Good sweet flavor. Ripens late spring. Self-fertile. Vigorous upright tree.
Champagne Small oval fruit with pale orange skin and lighter flesh with excellent flavor. Ripens late winter-early spring. Best with pollinator.
McBeth Large fruit with pale orange skin and sweet orange flesh containing only 1-2 seeds. Harvest spring. Self-fertile.
Vista White Large fruit with cream colored skin and white flesh. Very
sweet and mild. Only seedling plants are available. These will fruit within four
years.
Highly prized fruit from China. Reddish cherry size fruit with leathery bumpy
skin and white translucent mild flesh with a single seed. Slow growing evergreen
tree bears when 5 feet tall and can eventually grow up to 40 feet. Hardy to 25
F. Self-fertile. Prefers cool dry winters and hot, wet, humid summers. Provide
good drainage and deeply mulched moist sandy soil. Seedlings are seldom offered
because they require 10 years to bear. We offer air-layered cuttings of a few
varieties.
Brewster Large fruit with red skin and soft flesh with a large seed. Ripens early summer. Large upright tree.
Farwell Similar or the same as Brewster. These plants are from producing trees north of San Diego.
Mauritius (Kwai Mi) Medium size fruit with bright red smooth skin with
a large seed. Ripens late spring. Vigorous, spreading tree.
Similar to lychee in fruit and in culture (see Lychee). Tan or brown fruit 1
inch in diameter with sweet white flesh. Highly prized in Asia. Slow to moderate
growing evergreen tree to 20 feet or more. Hardy to 24 F. plants sold are
air-layered cuttings.
Kohala Large fruit with brownish skin. The flesh is aromatic and spicy
with very good to excellent quality. Small seed. The #1 commercial variety in
Florida and Australia.
Very similar to culture and hardiness of the Avocado. Very popular fruit in the
world's tropics and subtropics. In California mango trees rarely exceed 15 ft.
tall. Established plants are hardy to 26 F. Drip irrigation is preferred.
Consult our 'Avocado Planting Guide' for planting instructions. Mangos require
excellent drainage, sunburn protection when young, and protection from cold
winter winds. Near the coast mildew on flowers and leaves can ruin crops.
Anthracnose, caused by excessive rain or sprinklers, can also cause problems.
Grafted mangos bear fruit within 2 years. Developing fruit should be pinched off
young grafted mangos for several years to encourage greater growth. Seedling
mangos will bear within 7-10 years. Fruit ripens summer-winter. There are almost
countless varieties available and it will take us years to sort out which are
the best for our area. The following varieties are good bets.
Bailey's Marvel Similar to Haden, but better, because of much less fiber.
Carrie Medium size fruit with greenish yellow skin. Flesh is very juicy, rich aromatic and fiberless. Excellent quality. Tree is semi-dwarf.
Edward Very large fruit with red blushed yellow skin. The firm flesh is juicy, rich, tender, and fiberless. Excellent quality. Tree is semi-dwarf. Not a heavy producer.
Glenn Medium to large fruit with red blushed yellow skin. The flesh is firm, fiberless, rich, aromatic, and spicy. Excellent quality. Strong flavor.
Haden The large fruit has scarlet blushed apricot skin. The firm flesh is juicy and rich with some fiber near the seed. Very good to excellent quality.
Keitt Large fruit with pink blushed yellow skin and orange flesh, small seed. Fiberless. Very good quality. Resistant to anthracnose.
Kent Large fruit with pink blushed yellow skin and orange flesh. Fiberless. Excellent quality.
Manila Small fruit with yellow skin. Fiberless with small seed. Susceptible to anthracnose. Bushy tree. This variety is usually grown from seed and may require up to 5-8 years to bear fruit.
Valencia Pride Medium to large fruit with yellow red skin. The flesh
is sweet, juicy, and nearly fiberless. Quality is good.
Tropical Papaya is not often satisfying to grow. It thrives in warm or hot weather, but often fails in our cool wet winters. Soils high in organic matter encourage root rot especially in winter. Provide sandy soil or amend heavier soils with pumice. Unfortunately many of our suppliers grow papayas in highly organic soils, which often leads to failure. Typically the papaya grows rapidly from summer to mid fall, declines in the winter, and recovers in the spring. The plant has a single trunk surrounded by large maple like leaves. Papayas grow about 4-5 feet per year and can reach 20 feet. Virtually all papayas are grown from seed and the sex of the plant will not be known until it first flowers. It is recommended that more than one plant be grown, as there are 3 sexes possible. Hermaphroditic self-fertile plants are most common, but often there are pure males and pure females, which require the presence of the other. Some of the common varieties are:
K.R. This is a seedling from a good quality papaya grown locally by Orange County resident Kitti Rau. The large fruit is of very good quality if it ripens during warm weather. Shows unusual vigor and production.
Mirador (Maradol) a large red fruit with delicious red flesh. Reputed to be a hybrid of Thai x Mexican. We expect this to grow well.
Solo the commercial variety. Most solo plants are self-fertile.
Thailand, Taiwan Red excellent large fruit that sets fruit at a young
age. This may be the best tropical papaya to grow.
Babaco is a seedless hybrid mountain papaya with large cucumber shaped
fruit. The flesh is tasty and aromatic, but could use more sweetness. Very heavy
fruit production.
Passionfruit has the distinctive tropical flavor found in 'Hawaiian Punch'. The
oval fruit is 2 inches in diameter with tough purple skin. The delicious yellow
pulp surrounds small black seeds. This fast growing vine requires frost
protection and good drainage. Avoid intense dry heat. High humidity helps
production. Fruit ripens mostly fall-winter. On commercial farms the plants are
usually replaced every few years. Plants are available in our vine section. We
believe that two genetically different plants are required for pollination.
Is very cold sensitive. It thrives in warm or hot weather and fruit grown in our
climate is usually small and tart. The plant is a bromeliad with spiny
yucca-like leaves and grows about 3 feet tall and wide. Fruit develops within 3
years if frost is not encountered. Best when grown in containers with mostly
volcanic rock or pumice with a bit of peat moss. Protect from frost.
(Note: The name 'Sapote' is an ancient Aztec word thought to mean 'good fruit'.
Some of the Sapote fruits are not related to each other.)
A little known fruit that deserves much more attention. Looks like a greenish
yellow tomato with smooth, sweet delicious flesh with a flavor reminiscent of
peach or banana. There are usually 3-5 large seeds. The fruit is picked hard and
ripened at room temperature. A mature tree produces a huge crop (over 1000
pounds). The mostly evergreen tree (defoliates briefly) has attractive green
palmately divided leaves. It can grow 20-50 feet tall and 20-30 feet wide.
Grafted plants don't seem to grow with even a fraction of the vigor of
seedlings. Fallen fruit is also a consideration. We offer some of the following
grafted varieties:
McDill very large round fruit of excellent quality. Ripens fall. Heavy bearing vigorous large tree.
Suebelle Small to medium fruit of excellent quality. Ripens nearly all
year. Smaller and slower growing than other sapotes, in fact, this is a
difficult variety to grow because of its lack of vigor.
The fruit is similar to, but more rounded than, Yellow Sapote. The flesh is
relatively firm and there are 1-5 seeds. Very sweet. The harvest season is
uncertain. The slow growing evergreen upright tree grows 20-30 feet tall. Hard
to 27 F. Fairly easy to grow. Native of Chile and Peru. Information is scanty
but seems to indicate that Lucmo can be productive here.
Oval 2-3 inches fruit with thin skin and yellow-brown flesh that is soft, sweet,
and delicious. Flavor is of pears and brown sugar. 1-10 seeds. Eaten fresh. The
slow growing evergreen tree grows 50-75 feet tall. It grows best on well-drained
soil, but can tolerate high salinity. Hardy to 27 F. native to Central America.
The sap of this tree is used as a source of chicle for chewing gum. There are
several producing trees in California. Research shows that production is better
if the flowers are cross-pollinated and hand pollinated.
A tropical persimmon. The large shiny green fruit has chocolate colored soft
flesh with up to 10 bean size seeds in the central core. Sweet. Eaten fresh or
prepared. The fruit overwinters on the tree. The fast growing evergreen tree
grows 20 feet or more. Like plenty of moisture. Hardy to 28 F. there are several
productive trees in Southern Calif.
This unusual fruit looks like a golden cucumber and its cross section is a star
shape. The fruit has tender skin and soft juicy flesh with a mild sweet flavor
with a hint of astringency. Ripens winter. Eaten fresh or dried. The trees can
grow 20 feet, but height is usually limited by wind damage. Provide good
drainage and protection from cold winter winds and hot dry heat. Grow in a large
container with protection from extreme heat. Move under the eaves of a building
to protect from cool temperatures in winter. Normal winter temperatures will
severely damage this tree.
Arkin large deeply fluted fruit with golden skin and sweet juicy flesh with soft seeds. Ripens winter-spring.
Sri kembangan Very large fruit with bright golden skin and flesh.
Juicy, rich, and sweet with few seeds. Excellent quality.
Is relatively easy to grow. Plants should be located in filtered sun or partial
sun. The soil should be moist with good drainage. Mulch deeply to help prevent
salt buildup. The evergreen plant is an upright bush to 12 feet tall with very
glossy deep green leaves. The flowers and resulting berries (which contain 2
beans each) occur all year. The beans are roasted before being ground and used
to create the stimulating beverage.
Is related to the ornamental camellias. The leaves are used to create tea. The
plant grows as a dense rounded evergreen shrub to 15 feet tall with dark green
leaves. Can be trimmed to a hedge. Relatively easy to grow if given partial to
full sun (no reflected heat), rich soil, ample moisture, and decent drainage,
mulch deeply. The small white fragrant flowers bloom in fall.