Plinia cauliflora (Mart.) Kausel

A medium sized evergreen tree. It grows to 5-13 m tall. The trunk is 15-20 cm across. It often has several stems. The bark peels off in patches. The leaves are opposite and small. They are dark green. They are 5 cm long by 2 cm wide. Flowers are produced on larger trunks and branches. Flowers are small and white and only last one or two days. Fruit can occur in clusters of 2 or 3 on short stalks on the trunks. The fruit are purplish black. Fruit are 2-4 cm across. They resemble a grape. The fruit have a white pulp and several seeds.

A tropical plant. It is native to S Brazil. It grows in humid higher mountain forests in Brazil. They suit tropical and subtropical climates. Trees cannot tolerate salt wind. Trees once established can survive temperatures down to-5°C for short periods. They do best in acid soil with pH of 5.5 to 6.5. On alkaline soils micronutrient deficiencies often occur. Heavy mulching and an organic soil are best. Because of the shallow root system plants suffer from drying out. Plants can survive extended flooding. They can stand full sun or shade. In Bolivia it grows between 300-1,700 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 10-11.

Fruit can be eaten fresh. They are also used for jams and wines. The pulp is juicy and sweet. The skin is not eaten. The fruit can be frozen or dried for later use.

Trees can be grown from seed, or by grafting. Seed breed reasonably true to type. The seeds are collected from ripe fruit that have been allowed to partly decompose and are then washed free of pulp under running water. Seeds need to be cleaned of pulp and sown fresh. They germinate in 28 days. Layering can be used.