1. Lychee; The most romantic fruit in the world definitely has my heart
2. Mangosteen; Think of the tastes of a perfectly balanced orange put into a velvet flesh
3. Cherimoya; a good cherimoya is hard to beat, custard flesh or firm flesh their both great to me
4. Durian; The only reason this is not listed number one is because I can only finish about half of this guy at one sitting, after all it is the king. Plus I usually like to indulge myself
5. Pommelo; The best ones are juicy, crispy, and has no bitterness

Except for the Durian, I can literally go through 15-20 lbs of these guys in few hours.
Fruits I gotta try someday is a home grown ripen pineapple and something called a charichuela.

But so many tropical fruits exist out there, each with a unique flavor and aroma that can not be taken for granted. It's sorta like a woman. Each has her own special sex appeal ;)

Marcelo

I don't really like the fruit, in fact I haven't tried half of them, but I love the trees (palms) they grow on.

Mangosteen,
Longkong
bananas (bananas here taste nothing like the bananas in the US, they are sweet and flavorful)
Rambutan
Lamyai (again no idea what it is called in English)

Mango
Lychee
Bananas
Starfruit
Tangerines

Here's my top-5 list I can't live without:

1. Rambutan, the best is the small seeded rambutan

2. Pigeon-eye longan ( I don't know how you call it)

3. Green star apple. I can eat 10 of them at once but my pocket will be burned.

4. Big white-flesh pommelo, its top is bell-shaped and it has to be sweet, not too juicy or dry. I'm growing one. Hopefully, it's the variety I am carving for.

5. Giant yellow papaya. The flesh should be firm and sweet from one end to the other.

I love tropical fruits. Could I add one more?

6. Firm few-seeded sugar apple.

can add as much as you want.
Keep em' coming folks.

What is your pommelo variety called? How does it taste? Any seeds in it? Please post some pictures.

I only know how to root cuttings (Is this called air-layering?). How do you graft trees? Is the principle the same?

1. lychee
2. longan
3. rambutan
4. annonas (atemoya, sugar apple, cherimoya)
5. miracle fruit (most just eat for effect, but I eat them like candy!!!)

I would like to say mangosteen, but have only been able to get canned so I can't add it fairly. For all the trouble I go through to grow them, if, no, when I get fruit even if tastes like doody I will say it is great.

Alan

CHERIMOYA (Fresh off of one of my backyard trees. Dr. White is my favorite cultivar.)
MANGO (Fresh and fiber-less in Hawaii)
LYCHEE (The best I`ve had were picked only a few hours earlier and delivered to the fruit stands in Taiwan. We ate pounds and pounds of them all season long.)
MANGOSTEEN (The best I`ve had were bought from the fruit sellers at the rail stations in central Burma.)
DURIAN (Fresh from the fruit market in Georgetown, Malaysia.)

Honorable mention: Jakfruit also in Georgetown and Salak in Bali.

Ankrara's Hobby Corner

Mangosteens here are sweet and delicious with just a hint of citrus. Some are diseased or damaged but I'd say that it only hit about 20%, I don't think they travel well.

I like almost all the same fruits as many of you. I could eat these fruits all day in place of meals. But then I'd stink (From the durain) and have sugar shock all the time.
Meixue

After that I'll have to have pineapple, cherimoya, and an apple pear.

Okay, now I'm drooling.

1. Mango
2. Banana
3. Carambola (Star-Fruit)
4. Pineapple
5. Litchi

Meixue, I have three producing cherimoya trees(you must hate me right now). =)
Cherimoyas are a high elevation tropical plant sometimes called subtropicals. I think they would do fine in your area if their protected from frost for the first few years until it gets established. The only thing about cherimoyas is that they must be hand polinated, this goes for many of the anonas, even the sugar apple here in SoCal won't fruit sufficiently if it's not hand pollinated. I almost got so frustrated that I was about to chopped them down until I found out about this. A cheap way to get started off with cherimoyas are simply by planting some seedlings, I have never tasted a bad cherimoya seedling fruit, some are better than others but unlike many other plants they always produce good fruits. The thing about them is that they will grow fairly ok in pots(growth will really slow down once the roots run out of space though) for years and years but will still take off once it gets planted out. I had several seedlings that were in pots for 4 to 5 years, when it was given away and planted out, most eventually flowered within a year or two.

check out the link below, it is a link to the CRFG in your area, you might consider joing them, very helpful group of tropical fruit growers. click on "Idell's List of Fruits for the Bay Area" it has some information on fruits that have been experimented with in your area including the cherimoya.

Are cherimoya that delicious? I remember having them some few years ago when I had always had sugar apples. They tasted like craps even though they were good looking (very big and good to put on the altar). But I might try them again this year to see if I still hate them as a substitute for sugar apples, which I haven't had for a long time. But I'm afraid that my first impression was right.

orville

Your page has no email address. I know a Chinese nursery here east of Los Angeles that sells all the fruit trees on your list for very little. You could purchase your own Star Fruit tree for the cost of a few fruit at a gourmet grocery.

Get in touch. I just bought 20 trees there and can give you directions.

Eggo, thanks so much for the link and the encouragement with the cherimoya. Next time I buy one I will try to grow from seeds and maybe graft onto the seedlings. That would work right? The rare fruit growers society sounds great. I'm going to look into becoming a member especially if they hold seed swapping events. I'd love to start learning how to graft and air layer. I think I may have the chance to learn from this guy I met on GW who graciously gave me some michelia and champaca plants! Where did you learn to do all this grafting and air layering??
Thanks
Meixue

Alan

I don't have any problem finding a star fruit tree here. Just that there's one tree at a temple. When I want to see its fruits, I just go there to see them. Here's a photo I took just last Sunday.

It's a relatively small tree but has many fruits on it. And a man there was so gracious that he gave me one fruit to taste. I dipped it into some salt. It tasted very good, not too sour. You bought 20 trees? If that was 20 longan trees, I would invest, but one carambola is good enough. And you've not mistaken with Star Apples?

Lanzones! I haven't seen much response from people in the tropics about this. I've known most folks there seems to rank this very high on there list though. I had some variety, langsat? longkong? or whatever variety it is. I don't think I had a good batch though. It reminded very much of a pommello, imagine taking those small citrus kernel and enlarge it 100x bigger, well that's what it tasted like to me.

Meixue, grafting is quite easy once you get the hang of it. I actually learned it from following simple websites instructions for them. I had lots of failures but have found out the easiest plant to practice grafting on is a citrus or stonefruit. Doesn't seem to matter how bad the you make the graft, everything grows. It is much more of an artform, everyone has there own variation to grafting. You will find that it is much easier to pick it up though with some one physically showing you. I put a link below that shows briefly the concept of grafting. Airlayers are easy too but you must know the plants, some just won't root.
Tell me more about these Thai cherimoyas! It sure sounds like one, combination of pineapples and bananas. There are some information out that says Thailand ships out a lot of cherimoyas but not much information is out there..it would seem a bit difficult to grow them there. I had bought a seedling plant 2 years ago from a Thai lady. She said it was a Thai cherimoya and are like the ones in the grocery stores but it tastes better and don't have that smell (wasn't quite sure what she meant by that though). She said she snuck the seeds in from Thailand. I presume she was talking about a sweetsop, they look the same when its small. Shortly afterwards though I realized it wasn't a sweetsop, I thought it might be some kind of Atemoya though..but still it does not show any kind of characteristics of an atemoya. Leaves looks like a 100% cherimoya. It got me a bit puzzled, can you grow cherimoyas in Thailand? I'm still thinking about that.

Betty that is a nice picture. hmmm...what temple...? hehe just kidding.

Alan

Alan

What is an Annona purpea, there's so many obscure Annona fruits? couldn't find any description on this one.

Annona purpurea. I have some seedlings so I will see how they do.

Alan

Mary Anne

1.Feijoa
2.Kiwi Berry(Baby Kiwi)
3.Pomegranate
4.Mango
5.Lychee

I wouldn't really consider pomegranate a tropical fruit..more like meditteranean but it's exotic so I guess it would fall under this category. Same goes for the kiwi...I never knew they weren't technically tropical fruit.

Eggo persimmons grow pretty well in south florida which I would consider humid tropical climate...odd isn't it. I never even heard of a persimmon till I came down to Florida and yet they are grown more in places like illinois then here.

Anyway... my favorites tropical fruits are:

1. Mango (but certainly not Tommy Atkins)
2. Litchi (My Hak Ip is blooming for the the second consecutive season!).
3. Longan (Diamond River)
4. Banana (Mysore, Nam Wa)
5. Avocado (Mexican...though I'm happy with West Indies or Quatemalan).

Abiu-- texture a bit like a gelatinous honeydew, but a really delicate flavor like flan with a hint of strawberry. Both this and the previous are sit-down-with-a-spoon eating.

Lychee-- like eating roses.

Rambutan-- definitely a cute fruit.

Jaboticaba-- we grew our tree from seed and it took about 10 years for it to start fruiting, but it's really cool-looking when it does, the fruits pop right out of the trunk. Don't eat the skin, it's coarse and bitter, but what little meat you can squeeze out tastes like grape jelly.

I won't even list banana or papaya, since those are everyday staples, but I won't turn down a good pommelo when it's offered (can't eat it all in one sitting, though.)

1. Guava: I love it's tangy pineapple like taste. Guava jelly is the finest in the world. I really want to try feijoa and cattley guava.

2. Guanabana (soursop): only member of the annona family which I have tried I am sorry to say. I love it!

3. Jaboticaba: I had some monday again and they are so heavenly!

4. Lychee: I love it's fragrant taste.

5. Loquat: I love it's tangy taste!

I really need to become more cultured in tasting tropical fruits...lol really want to try sugar apple, custard apple, pond apple (even though i heard its not great), abiu, rambutan, dragonfruit, monstera deliciosa, jackfruit, and so much more...

Upon rereading some of the other posts, I think what I'm eating must be Atemoya and not Cherimoya. If the Cheri won't grow in Florida, it probably won't grow in Hawaii either, and what I'm getting is definitely locally grown. We even had a tree for a short while, but it got some kind of borers or something and gave up. Gotta get me another one, I was going to start from seed, but it sounds as though maybe I'd better get a grafted one(fortunately we live right next to a fruit-tree nursery)!

And I am so NOT into pineapples. When we first moved here years ago, my mother-in-law would send us toothbrushes every Christmas because she'd heard that those pineapples were really acid and sure must be hard on the teeth. I guess she thought that was all we ever ate!

Now Ohelo berries or Poha I can see, although I've only ever had either one in a prepared form. If you ever find yourself in the vicinity of Volcano House around breakfast time, order up a big slab of portuguese sweet bread french toast (too many nationalities there) with Ohelo berry syrup on top. Mmmm, onolicious!

Jackfruits can get huge, if one fell on you it would kill you. You have to beat the monkeys to them though. The secret to eating them is to coat your hands with vegetable oil before you start tearing them apart. Otherwise the sticky sap sticks to your hands and you can't get it off. After you are finished eating the yellow flesh boil the seeds and eat them like nuts.

Tamarind seeds are so easy to germinate! I got 100% germination rate on my seeds!

There's a great nursery specifically formulated for your climate and they sell top quality and affordable tropical and temperate fruit trees. You should definitely check it out! Good luck with your tropical fruit orchard!

1. rambutan (childhood favorite)
2. star apple(another childhood favorite)
3. dragon fruit (just because they are cool)
4. blood orange (also cool)
5. sugar apple (who doesn't love these?)
6. guava (large white flesh vietnamese types)
7. guava (pink flesh)
8. sapote (not from the grocery store)
9. avocado
10. pawpaw (never tried, but I was so intrigued, bought 4 trees)
11. mango, I have a dwarf carrie, supposed to be the best.
12. jaboticaba (never tried, but I have a 2 ft tree)
13. oh yes, the wax jambu, one of my favorites, how did i almost forget.
14. hawaiian strawberry papaya (the only papaya I like)
15. ice cream bean, never tried, but want one

oh...did you say five..hehe I couldn't choose. There are so many, the ones I have tasted are so distinct in flavor there is no comparison. That is why I want to try them all, so I know what I'm missing.

I'm in zone 8B, but I am crazy enough to have bought all of the above plants, and then some. I grow them next to a solid, south facing stone wall. wish me luck this winter. the ones I know will make it are: blood orange, pawpaw, pineapple guava, jaboticaba, kiwi, longan, lychee, star fruit, sapote. The others, well, I'll think of something when the time comes.

I´ve just tried a frozen durian, and it was worth it, sweet and a mocha taste. Great fruit.

1. Lychee (Hak Ip)
2. Atemoya (Geffner)
3. Mango (Nam Doc Mi)
4. Jackfruit (NS1)
5. Avocado (Russel)

I also love Jabaticaba, Kwai Muk, Mamey, and Sapodilla

My list have just been edited. The cherimoya has just climbed to number one for me. It grows so easy for me and provides a bunch of fruit for me every year. And still I know I will never be sick of it!
#1. CHERIMOYA
=)

I boiling the seeds (some one told me to) and all of those are growing! Sence the seeds i germinated were the sour type I need to go to an Asian market and get some sweet tamarinds!

Let me know how everything goes.

As for choosing a ripe durian in the shop, check the smell and I've read that if shaken, you should hear the fruit inside "rattling" around.

And princesskim, I've just started my durians and jackfruits. The durians I'm a bit worried about for winter, since I don't know of any local trees producing. The jackfruit on the other hand can be found locally, like one just outside the window, and they are happily fruiting without active cultivation.

As for top 5:
mango
durian
sugar apple
jackfruit
lychee

Luckily for me, four of these five are grown locally in addition to lots of longan.

I have seen fruiting coconut palms in Hong Kong movies and they look to be in similar health to the ones in South Florida---not bad for a location that experiences an average high of 67F.

According to weatherbase.com, your city all time lowest temperature is 37F. This is warmer than even Miami beach of 32F. Have you ever tried growing breadfruits?

And I'm not worried about frost or freeze damage to the plants. It is just the weeks or month or so where temps (lo-hi) drop down to 8-12C (46-54F), which might be too cold for plants native to Borneo/Indonesia/Malaysia, like the durian and mangosteen, to really thrive in.

Summer here is Southwest Monsoon with airflow from Saigon to Hong Kong. Winter here is Northeast Monsoon with airflow from the snowy north to Hong Kong.

Thankfully it's easier to grow tropicals here than it is in Buffalo, though it's an exchange for last month being the end of my tomato season.

Hard to pick just 5.

Marcelo

Daai I grew up in Pittsburgh so I know all about lake effect snow and rain. So its basically just a chilly showery time in winter in Hong Kong?

Isn´t that pot to short for that breadfruit?

I leave the term showery for days like today or this week. It's a little after noon here and we've gotten between 4 and 6 inches of rain so far today, while other parts of Hong Kong are between 8 and 12 inches.

And Marcelo, that looks really nice. All the delonix and bauhinia and cassia seem very familiar. (The Hong Kong flag is red with a white bauhinia flower.)

I used to have a huge passion vine, but I got rid of that also because of possums. My all time favorite fruit is fig, but it's not tropical. I have two fig trees, which produce way more fruit than I ever imagined - a bit too much.

I'm interested in growing tamarind, however.

Lars

Lars, guanabana is different than cherimoya. Guanabana is Annona muricata and cherimoya is A. cherimola. I've only tasted a guanaban once and I had gotten a bad one but I love the canned juices. It should really be a great, I'm attempting to grow some guanabana plants outside in my area and should see if it will make it or not after this month.

Melati, the tree tomato? Really

Tucumã - Astrocaryum Tucuma (the meat pealed from the seed makes great sandwiches when heated in french bread with melted cheese - a breakfast favorite.

Açai - Euterpe olearcae or precatoria - (makes a drink from the pulp that is widely consumed locally in the Amazon region and now sold in the States and elswhere where it is made from frozen pulp. Very good for ones health)

Bacaba - Oenocarpus bacaba (also makes a drink from the pulp, this is only consumed locally in the Amazon region. I like the taste.)

Pataua - Onecarpus bataua (also makes a drink similar to bacaba and açai. Due to the high oil content in the pulp a cooking oil with properties nearly identical to olive oil is produced.

Pupunha - Bactris gasipaes or I believe known as peach palm (the boiled fruits are eaten locally as a breakfast food. I have aquired a liking for them. The palm heart also makes great palm cabbage).

And, last but not least the Brazil Nut. The nuts fresh from the tree are nowhere like the ones you get in the States.

Of course there are all kinds of other fruits to be found around here. A lot of them in the forest where the animals are the mostly the consumers. I had a beautiful jaboticaba tree in the yard of a house I had in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. The tree was about 8 years old when I bought it in 1980 and produced all kinds of fruit. Unfortunately the people that bought the hose ripped it up as they tore down the place to make a new big, million dollar house. So is progress.

dk

Leona

See if you can find a grafted one somewhere. This saves a lot of time to get fruit. I have also seen Jaboticabas as banzai trees, they are real nice. In South Florida I knew a woman who specialized in this. I just planted one in my lot here in Manaus, Brazil. They like a lot of water and the more water the more they bear fruit.

dk

Lars

Great site here! I would LOVE to find SALAK fruit in the Los Angeles area. Also I would buy a plant if I could find one and it will grow here. I'm a bit of a beginner so any help would be appreciated. I tried this fruit in Bali several years ago and fell in love with it! It's my favorite, followed up by "water apples," another fruit I had on Bali (not sure what the real name of that one is).

Thanks for any help you can give!

1. Mangosteen
2. Rambutan (R-5 Variety - best variety in the Philippines)
3. Langsat or Lanzones (Longkong variety)
4. Coconut (Fresh and chilled - the best!)
5. Pili nut - (I think Pili nuts are at par with Macadamia nuts)

1. Lychee, mmm so sexy
2. Durian, so huge and tastes like cream pudding
3. Cherimoya
4. Carambola
5. Mangostaan

I would wish, that they wasn´t so expensive in Denmark:´/

If you could come to Thailand you will see people here love to grow mango. Mangos are everywhere here. Have you ever try mango in Thailand they are very sweet? One of my favorite is soft yellow mongo with stick coconut rice and we do eat law mango too very crunchy sour and sweet taste. At my garden have 5 kinds different of mango tree a lot of fruit for two seasons. And I don’t grow rose apple but some other people here do. I think rose apple quite easy to get rust when they producing a flower and many bee too. Anyway I love rose apple is juicy and sweet.
We do have the best of Mangosteen, Rambutan and durian here in summer.
Good to hear that people are love our tropical fruit.

My husband and I just bought our house and are working hard to turn the property to nearly complete edible landscaping. Does anyone know of a good nursery to purchase some of these plants in the Los Angeles area? I'm in Altadena.

Thanks!

1. Mangos
2. Mamey Sapote
3. Anonas( chirimoya, sugar apple, guanabana etc.)
4. Suebelle White Sapote (only)
5. Guavas (red, pink, yellow, white etc>
6. Avocado ( Mexican, Guatemalan and even the inferior West Indian)
7. Lychees
8. Mamoncillos
9. Nispero ((Manilkara zapota)
10. Caimito

mangohound