star cherry tree (botanical name Eugenia uniflora) is a tropical shrub native to Suriname, Guyana, French Guiana, and Brazil. It’s also known as Pitanga, Brazil cherry, Cayenne cherry, or Florida cherry.
Surinam cherry has a distinctive wedged shape (like a tiny pumpkin!) with colors ranging from orange to bright red to dark burgundy when fully ripe.
Eating Surinam Cherry
Ripe Surinam cherries are bursting with flavor! The juicy pulp has a tangy-sweet taste, with a slight bitter hint. Fruits with deeper red color (almost black) are sweeter and less astringent. Each fruit has one round “stone” or seed inside.
Growing Surinam Cherry
Surinam cherry is easy to grow and requires low-maintenance. It’s drought-tolerant, shade-tolerant, and can grow in any soil.
It makes a striking ornamental shrub in the garden. In the spring, the whole plant is covered with clusters of white fragrant flowers that look like cherry blossoms! The flowers attract a lot of honeybees and butterflies.
Young Surinam cherry leaves have a pretty reddish maroon color. When crushed, they release a pleasant peppery smell that is known to repel mosquitoes
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