Brazilian Grape Tree (also known as
Jabuticaba) does not use branches to grow fruits. It grows fruits (and
flowers) directly on the trunk.
You might well take a step back if you come across one of these
incredible trees while in Brazil. Known by locals as the ‘grape tree’,
the reasons are immediately very obvious, given the fruits the tree
develops. Strangely, not at the end of smaller branches, which one would
expect as the norm, but straight from the trunk of the tree, a really
peculiar sight.
This amazing little tree, native to the south-eastern area of the
country, is the ‘jabuticaba’, and the large purple fruits could easily
be mistaken for plums or grapes. By ancient local tradition, the
sun-dried skins of the fruits are used in the production of an
astringent medication to treat diarrhea, asthma, tonsillitis and other
ailments. Each fruit is around one-and-a-half inches in diameter,
containing four seeds surrounded by pulpy, sweet, rose-colored flesh.
This delicious fruit is a common sight on many Brazilian market
stalls as they are usually eaten as fresh as possible. Probably on a par
with the grape in popularity, at least in comparison to the western
diet, these sweet treats begin to ferment in three to four days of being
picked, so are also popular for making liqueurs, strong wines, some
baked products and jams.
The thick, dark purple skins of the fruits are what make them stand
out so dramatically on the trees. The flowers, which are white, grow
straight from the trunk and branches, in what is known as a
‘cauliflorous habit’. In its natural state, the tree will only flower
once or possibly twice in a year, but continuous irrigation and careful
husbandry can ensure that the flowers appear far more often so that the
fruit can be harvested all year round in tropical areas like Brazil.
The tree has, over millennia, evolved in its peculiar way to allow
animals that are unable to climb the tree access to the succulent fruits
by producing them in the way it does, thus ensuring that the seeds get
scattered via animal droppings over the widest area of forest possible.
Since this type of tree is quite hardy, it will grow in almost any
kind of soil, though it prefers a mildly acidic environment. This is
actually not a tree that shoots up quickly, but one that makes slow
progress toward maturity.
The real beauty of this amazing plant is that the fruits can be eaten
straight from the trunk; and the trees are incredibly productive. The
fruits are also now known to host several highly effective medicinal
compounds, so the wonderfully refreshing summer fruit drink made from
them are medicinal as well as sweet.
It is possible to grow one of these wonderful trees in the UK, if you
have a continually heated greenhouse, but you may have to wait for many
years before it becomes mature. Still, it would be worthwhile if only
to show off to gardening friends the tree that looks for all the world
as if some prankster had spent hours in sticking fruits in place. You
could also mention that researchers hope to employ compounds from the
fruits in the battle against cancer.
Nature never ceases to surprise and amaze with her wonderful diversity
and unbelievable inventiveness. The Brazilian Grape tree was an unknown
quantity to me as well as many of you until I researched the subject,
but it is now definitely marked as a ‘must-see’ if ever I get to South
America. A glorious example of how beautifully quirky ‘Mother Nature’
likes to be, and how very much we mere humans still have to learn.
Excellent.
Disclaimer : All the information is collected from different websites and sources.
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