Daleys Fruit Tree Blog

Panama Berry

I love my panama berry it is my favourite fruit tree, especially at the moment when it is fruiting. The tree itself is very attractive with soft foliage that hangs almost to the ground it is evergreen, fast growing and always looks beautiful. Fruits are produced for months so at this time of the year the tree is adorned with both the delicate white flowers and the pretty red fruits that are about the size of a small cherry. In ideal conditions the trees can grow to about ten meters but I have no intention of letting mine get that tall as I would not be able to reach the tempting little fruits.
It is a browsing tree, none of the fruit that my tree produces ever make it inside, all my fruits are eaten in the shade of the tree. My birds have not yet realized that the fruits are delicious, I am not sure if this is because they are hidden under the soft weeping foliage but I feel lucky about that. My neighbours wallabies feed on the foliage of his tree but mine have never munched a single leaf on my tree so the foliage weeps to the ground. The fruits are very sweet, I think they have the flavour of vanilla ice cream and I just love to suck the inside flesh out of the skin even though the skins are edible.
Correy will want to know if he can grow a panama berry in a pot in his garden and yes they grow beautifully in large containers, as with any fruit tree in a container it will require regular watering, a good quality potting mix and a healthy layer of organic mulch to keep the moisture in. The panama berry is a must have as a snacking tree for children and adults alike, anyone who like sweet think will love the panama berry.

Labels: Panama berry

Add Your Comment (17)
Published: Kath ,Thursday, March 15, 2007

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Comments so far: 17

 Correy said ...

I notice that they fruit all year round. How long after getting one from the nursery, (then putting it in a nice big pot) will it be until I get some fruit?

P.S they do have amazing folliage.
Time: Thursday, March 15, 2007  

 Kath said ...

Correy you would be amazed, they often have small fruits on them when we send out in their little pots.
Time: Thursday, March 15, 2007  

 q said ...

Would this be the same as something called a jam fruit tree?
Time: Monday, March 26, 2007  

 Kath said ...

It has many names and the Jam Fruit is one of them from Sri Lanka, it is also known as the Jamaica Cherry, in India it is called the Chinese Cherry or the Japanese Cherry.
Time: Wednesday, March 28, 2007  

 MSS said ...

Panama berry is a new one on me. What is it, botanically?
Time: Monday, April 16, 2007  

 Kath said ...

The botanical name for the Panama Berry is Muntingia calabura.
Time: Tuesday, April 17, 2007  

 david said ...

hi,just wondering about the panama berry,will it grow north of adelaide(about 100 km)as this plant would be a good one for my plant collection.thankyou
Time: Thursday, April 19, 2007  

 Kathryn said ...

David if you are frost free it is a great little tree to grow.
Time: Monday, April 23, 2007  

 Correy said ...

Hi Kath

Are you able to do panama berries from a cutting?

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Kath Wrote Back:
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Yes, they are really easy to do so a good one to play with. They grow beautifully from cuttings and then will fruit even sooner, almost as soon as they are made.

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How do you do the cutting. Eg is it best to put it in water or soil. I tried cuttings with coffee plants and blueberries and had no success in soil. Are there any tricks?
Time: Monday, April 23, 2007  

 Kath said ...

There are lots of trick to making successful cuttings, the most useful tip I have come across is if at first you don't succeed try them again at a different time. The cutting needs to be hardened, so not new growth and approx. 15-20cm long for a panama berry. Remove most of the leaves, leaving the top 6 and cut these in half. Make a clean cut 5mm below a bud, dip the stem in water and then hormone powder and plant the cutting in seed raising mix, this will be low in fertilizer. Keep it moist but not wet. Good luck.
Time: Monday, April 23, 2007  

 Brittney said ...

You have no idea how happy I was to see that fruit. When I went down to Panama I just died eating that fruit. We always eat it green especially because I have a little monkey of a cousin who loves climbing. =]]
Time: Saturday, June 16, 2007  

 Ruth said ...

Hi - Just wondering if I could use these as a limestone wall in-fill hedge in Perth? Many thanks Ruth
Time: Monday, September 29, 2008  

 dave said ...

Nowhere on the net can I find the climate range that Panama Berry will successfully grow & fruit in. I am moving to WA near Bunbury in the New Year & wonder if I would be successful there.? The soil is very sandy!
Time: Wednesday, December 17, 2008  

 Samuel said ...

Very nice to me to know that Muntingia calabura is a plant present in Panama. It´s a very common plant here in Guatemala in different places like Izabal. The fruit very sweet it seems to me very delicious. I will be glad that you come to Guatemala for knowing here this very important specie.
Max Mérida
maxmeyer16@hotmail.com
Time: Thursday, April 09, 2009  

 Una Fini said ...

I have one space left in my hedge for a small, to 3 metre, fruit tree and thought perhaps the Panama Berry would be it til I read this: "WARNING: Muntingia calabura, will grow to a height of about 5-6 m with a spread of nearly 6 metres. The major disadvantage of this plant is that is has serious potential in becoming a weed, I have seen it coming up in a number of places in Queensland. Each fruit has hundreds of seeds and it additionally can sucker too.
I would suggest to plant something else, it isnt really a good screen plant anyway- you end up with a bare trunk and a spreading canopy- it has a similar architecture to that of a small Poinciana or alike." (FROM GARDEN WEB)

(FROM GARDEN WEB)
Time: Monday, October 19, 2009  

 jim calder said ...

where can I purchase a plant or some seeds?
Time: Tuesday, December 29, 2009  

 Correy said ...

Daleys has plenty of the plants in stock here:

Panama Berry
Time: Wednesday, December 30, 2009  

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