Strawberry Tree, Red (Muntingia calabura)
Strawberry Tree fruit will amaze you with it's fantastic flavor - a combination of buttered popcorn and cotton candy! It's a small to medium-sized fast-growing tropical to subtropical fruit tree/shrub with small white flowers that resemble those of a strawberry plant. It produces tons of red bite-size edible berries that resemble cherries and ripen quickly. Muntingia's fruit is beloved by birds and squirrels but don't worry, since it fruits so prolifically almost all year long, there’s more than enough fruit for everyone to enjoy abundantly.
You will not find this rare fruit at market even in its native range due to short shelf life so picking it off the tree and eating it fresh is a must if you want to experience this wholesome and exotic flavor.
Strawberry Tree is easy to grow and thrives with little care. The plant has its roots in Central and South America with its native range stretching all the way from Southern Mexico through the Caribbean and south to Peru. Muntingia calabura is also known as Strawberry Tree, Jamaican Cherry, Cotton Candy Berry, Panama Berry, Bajelly Tree, Singapore Cherry, Sabah Cherry, Panama Cherry, Jam Tree, and Calabura.
Plant Type:
Subtropical/Tropical Evergreen Fruit Tree
Harvest Season:
Year-round
Blooms and produces fruit year-round, with heaviest production throughout Spring, Summer, and Fall
Mature Size:
15–30 ft.
Soil & Moisture:
Grows in acidic, alkaline, loamy, moist, sandy or clay soils. It tolerates wet sites but does best in well-drained areas.
Light Requirements:
Full Shade, Part Shade
Self-Fertile:
Yes
Growth Rate:
Very Fast
Zone Hardiness:
Outdoors 9+ (with frost protection in Zone 9); Patio/Greenhouse 4+
Propagation:
Strawberry trees are grown from seed and are quick to fruit! Our larger tree sizes are producing now. Our medium seedling size Strawberry Trees are capable of bearing fruit within 1-2 years.
