What fruit is this?

General Fruit Growing
#1

Found this on a hedge row at a Texas/Mexico border crossing. I knicked it and a picture of the mother plant. It let out a milky exudate from the stem area when picked. I plan to cut it open when I get to where I can.

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#2

I found it

Natal plum: Carissa macrocarpa

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#3

Did you taste it?? :open_mouth:

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#4

That is what I thought but could not see any spines in the picture… I read that some other Carissa species are poisonous so be careful.

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#5

That would make one heck of a koolaid.

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#6

I did after I read about it. The plant did have spines. And the article I found said the plant parts being poisonous was a myth. It was sweet mushy flesh and a tart skin. Nice but nothing that made me go “oh wow!”. Nine seeds in the center.

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Makes me want to plant them but they won’t survive in 8a. 29F will do them in…

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#7

Anyone want the seeds? Zoned 9b-11.

@jujubemulberry it would not make your winter, would it?

#8

It looks very similar to a common coastal shrub here called coco plum, scientific name being chrysobalanus icaco. Especially with the salt-laden wind tolerance thing, and the round, glossy leaves.

#9

Yeah…that pretty much describes it. It’s a really pretty plant. And it’s not that far inland here. 50 miles?? Maybe.

#10

This one wasn’t as ripe

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It was quite tart! :flushed:

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#11

probably not. Despite vegas being depicted as ‘hot’, we unfortunately get really cold spells here as well. One reason why you don’t see orange trees here which you’d see at every corner in phoenix, despite supposedly ‘similar’ climates. Summers are similar with phx, but our winters aren’t exactly.:disappointed:

folks from canada flocking here for new year’s celebration do get surprised by our winters.

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#12

I found this bush while walking on the road today. Anyone knows what that is? Is it edible? The fruits are quite soft from inside, I was tempted to taste them, but was concerned they my be poisonous or bitter.

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#13

Looks like cornus kousa

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#14

Kousa Dogwood. Fruit vary in sizes. Some taste better than the others.

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#15

The ones I’ve tried taste vaguely melony. In my opinion, it’s a nice novelty to impress your date (“hey, did you know you can eat these?”) But not something I feel compelled to eat fistfuls of.

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#16

I know people who made jam, jelly out of these fruit.

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#17

I could see that working pretty well.