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 grou
nd. 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.
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?
ReplyDeleteP.S they do have amazing folliage.
Correy you would be amazed, they often have small fruits on them when we send out in their little pots.
ReplyDeleteWould this be the same as something called a jam fruit tree?
ReplyDeleteIt 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.
ReplyDeletePanama berry is a new one on me. What is it, botanically?
ReplyDeleteThe botanical name for the Panama Berry is Muntingia calabura.
ReplyDeletehi,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
ReplyDeleteDavid if you are frost free it is a great little tree to grow.
ReplyDeleteHi Kath
ReplyDeleteAre 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?
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.
ReplyDeleteYou 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. =]]
ReplyDeleteHi - Just wondering if I could use these as a limestone wall in-fill hedge in Perth? Many thanks Ruth
ReplyDeleteNowhere 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!
ReplyDeleteVery 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.
ReplyDeleteMax Mérida
maxmeyer16@hotmail.com
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.
ReplyDeleteI 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)
where can I purchase a plant or some seeds?
ReplyDeleteDaleys has plenty of the plants in stock here:
ReplyDeletePanama Berry