Plant Profile: Cherry of the Rio Grande

• Genus: Eugenia
• Species: E. involucrata (formerly Eugenia aggregata)
• Family: Myrtaceae

The Cherry of the Rio Grande is a rare tropical fruit tree native to Brazil, which is a cherry substitute for sub-tropical and tropical environments. The Cherry of the Rio Grande is a large shrub or small tree often staying around 15 feet tall in the Florida landscape, They can also be grown and fruited in pots, as they have a shallow root system. Under favorable conditions in-ground mature specimens in Florida can reach a max height of 20-25 feet if left unpruned.

The trees get a beautiful and smooth multi-colored trunk with age that slightly resembles a less showy Rainbow Eucalpytus.

Cherry of the Rio Grande are still pretty uncommon due to the expense of their seeds. Though, they’re a fantastic plant for the Florida landscape and come highly recommended. They’ve been grown in South Florida as early as the 1920s. Their cherry like fruit is incredibly sweet, with very little of the “funk” that’s common of other Eugenia fruits such as Grumichama (E. brazilensis), Pitomba (E. Luschnanthiana), Surinam Cherry (E. uniflora) or Araca-boi/Araza (E. stipitata).

In Florida, Cherry of the Rio Grande will typically begin flowering in March. Their solitary white flowers, which are similar to other Eugenia species, envelope the tree until late April or early May. From the initial bloom it takes 3-4 weeks to get ripened fruit.

The oblong fruit have a distinctive calyx at the end of their fruit. The fruit’s skin mature and ripen to a dark red-to-purple.

The flesh is deep red surrounded by 1-to-2 small seeds, with a juicy pulp and thin skin, perfect for eating out-of-hand. They spoil quickly and must be eaten within 2-3 days if left on the counter. It can be preserved in jams/jellies or juiced.

Cherry of the Rio Grande will produce fruit within 4-6 years from seed. Most are propagated from seeds. There are few named cultivars. Though, improved varieties can be grafted onto seedlings utilizing side-veneer grafts.

The longer and narrower Savannah Cherry (Eugenia calycina) is named, but often thought to be a sub-species of the Cherry of the Rio Grande (CORG). Savannah Cherry are said to be slightly less resinous than CORG, with longer leaves and are graft compatible due to their close relation.

The attractive evergreen trees need very little pruning, but can also be utilized as a hedge. The trees prefer slightly acidic soil and have occasionally experienced die-back on some limbs when approaching maturity. This die-back seldom kills the tree, but does have the potential to disfigure it.

The CORG is said to be self-fertile, but sets fruit much better with cross pollination.

Due to their limited shelf life and rarity it is unlikely to ever find fruit available for sale in grocery stores or farmer’s markets.

• Mature Height: 15-25 feet max (can be left in containers and kept smaller)
• Mature Width: 5-10 feet.
• Sunlight Requirements: Prefer partial shade in Florida, but can handle full sun when established, albeit with leaf burn.
• Cold hardiness: Zone 9-11 outdoors. Patio growing Zone 4-11. Mature trees are said to be some of the most cold-hardy of their genus. They’re often said to be hardy to 20-22° F once established, small trees should be protected from frost.
• Soil Requirements: Well Draining soil, pH 5.5-6.5. We recommend Premier Pro-Mix BX Mycorrhizae.
• Wind Tolerance: Low tolerance to wind, especially while small
• Salt Tolerance: Low tolerance to salt spray
• Growth Rate: Slow grower.
• Pollination: Self-pollinating, with greater fruit set with additional trees.
• Watering: CORG love heavy watering, with well draining soil.
• Fruit Season: Will fruit in March and can continue fruiting until May. Will fruit in 4-6 years from seed.
• Pruning: CORG requires little pruning.
• Disease/Pest issues: CORG have no major disease issues.
• Self-fertile: Yes, but yield is greatly increased with additional trees.

We grow Cherry of the Rio Grande because they are incredibly gorgeous ornamental fruit trees, produce an abundance of fantastic fruit and require minimal maintenance outside of regular watering (though they can handle drought, albeit it with less fruit set). Like, Jaboticaba and some other tropical fruits from Brazil, as long as they’re planted in a proper soil and provided with some shade and plenty of water they grow into incredibly stunning specimens.

They’re a fantastic tree for the Central Florida landscape. We grow them in quantity on our farm in Christmas, FL.

We recommend CORG highly, especially for those that experience colder weather in zone 9, such as large open properties in 9b or those in 9a. If you’d like to add a Cherry of the Rio Grande to your landscape, or have us design and install a whole edible landscape, check out our availability list. We offer delivery and installations around the greater Orlando area for large orders.