- Genus: Eugenia
- Species: E. brasiliensis
- Family: Myrtaceae
The Grumichama a tropical cherry replacement also known as Brazil Cherry. It produces a mealy fruit, its most common variety’s skin turns a deep purple or black with a pale yellow flesh that has a flavor profile compared to cherries and plums. It can be preserved in jams, jellies and pies or eaten fresh.
Like other Eugenia profiled, it has a limited shelf life and will perish quickly once picked.
Grumichama can be shaped as attractive bushes and kept containerized, or planted where they’ll reach between 6-25 feet tall, if left unpruned. The trees have beautiful dark green and leathery foliage and stunning burgundy new growth.
The fruit is variable and often grown from seed. In our experience over or under watering can cause decline in fruit quality and severe fruit drop in potted specimen.
Grumichama are considered endangered species and are thus still quite rare worldwide. The tree is very slow growing with 1-2 feet of new growth per year expected. It takes four years to bear fruit from seed.
The grumichama has gorgeous, small and delicate flowers, which create a sea of white throughout the tree, as is common with other Eugenia. The tree is said to handle slight frosts and is hardy to around 26° F.
Grumichama can fruit multiple times per year, but set heavily in Spring (March-May), with the largest yield in April.
The tree is fairly susceptible to the Caribbean Fruit Fly.
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: 25-35 feet max (can be left in containers and kept smaller or pruned to smaller size)
- Mature Width: 4-6 feet.
- Sunlight Requirements: Prefer partial shade in Central Florida. They don’t fruit well when too shaded though.
- Cold hardiness: Zone 9-11 outdoors. Patio growing Zone 4-11. Mature trees are said to be hardy to 26° F once established, small trees should be protected from frost.
- Soil Requirements: Well Draining slightly acidic soil, pH 5.5-6.5. We recommend Premier Pro-Mix BX Mycorrhizae or our special soil mixture available at our farm.
- 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: Not drought tolerant, needs well draining soil
- Fruit Season: Will fruit in March and can continue fruiting until May. Will fruit in 4 years from seed.
- Pruning: Little pruning required, but can be shaped as a bush or grown as a tree.
- Disease/Pest issues: Grumichama have no major disease issues.
- Self-fertile: Yes, but yield is greatly increased with additional trees.
We grow Grumichama because we really enjoy the fruit and love how beautiful the trees can be (especially those with perfect, unblemished foliage and new growth). Eugenia also tend to have gorgeous flowers and quality fruit.
They’re a fantastic tree for the Central Florida landscape. We grow them in quantity on our farm in Christmas, FL.
We recommend Grumichama highly to anyone looking for a cherry replacement, especially those who have tried other tropical cherries and not preferred them for one reason or another (Surinam Cherry’s resinous properties, Barbados Cherries sourness, etc.). If you’d like to add a Grumichama 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 more information on delivery and installation.
We’re fully licensed and insured. We’ve completed installs at Disney Springs as well as up-scale neighborhoods including in Bayhill, Oviedo and Wedgefield, Florida.