🍒 Why you should grow a Pitanga tree. Health benefits of Surinam Cherry

Pitanga (Eugenia uniflora), also known as Surinam cherry or Brazilian cherry, is a tropical fruit that's as tasty as it is healthy. This small tree or bush brings beauty to your yard and benefits to your body. With shiny leaves, fragrant white flowers, and bright red or dark maroon fruit, it's an easy-to-grow plant that also happens to be a nutritional powerhouse.

❓ So, why plant Pitanga?

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  🍒 Pitanga is packed with vitamins. Pitanga is loaded with vitamin C for glowing skin and a strong immune system, and vitamin A for healthy eyes.
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  🍒 Pitanga is full of antioxidants. Especially the dark fruits, which are rich in plant compounds like lycopene and beta-carotene that may protect your cells and reduce inflammation.
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  🍒 Pitanga has healing power. Traditional medicine has used it for heartburn, stomach issues, and even respiratory conditions. Lab studies show it may help fight bacteria and fungi too.
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  🍒 Pitanga might fight cancer. Early research suggests pitanga extracts may slow cancer cell growth.
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  🍒 Pitanga tastes like summer. When fully ripe, the juicy fruit has a sweet-tart flavor - great in salads, desserts, jams, and even cocktails. Pitanga var. Black Star, or Lolita has exceptional flavor, larger sweeter fruit than regular red-fruit variety.

⚠️ Bonus: It grows fast, stays evergreen, and makes a great natural privacy screen or edible hedge.

If you're looking for a tropical fruit tree that’s both beautiful and beneficial, Pitanga is a smart choice. Just make sure to pick the fruit when fully ripe - and prepare to fall in love with this cherry that's not quite a cherry!

🛒 Start growing Health today - add Pitanga to your Food Forest

📚 More about Lolita Cherry from previous posts:

• 💋What makes Lolita different from regular Surinam Cherry?
• 💋Top 10 fruit you'll ever need for your health benefits: #8 Lolita Cherry
• 💋 Who is that Sweet Black Lolita from Surinam?
• 💋Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #3. Eugenias - Tropical Cherries
• 💋How to make a jam with Surinam Cherry

#Food_Forest #Remedies #Hedges_with_benefits #Discover

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🥑 How to grow your own avocado tree?
Watch Top Tropicals on TV 📺

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  💚 Growing your own avocado tree has many benefits. You can enjoy fresh, delicious avocados right from your garden.
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  💚 Avocado trees are attractive, provide shade, and enhance your landscape.
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  💚 There are many avocado varieties to choose from, offering unique flavors, sizes, and ripening times.
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  💚 Visit our garden center in Ft. Myers or BFarm in Sebring, FL, and let our fruit tree expert Kristi help you choose the perfect Avocado trees for your garden!

📱 Watch ABC7 Fort Myers News: Avocado Varieties with Kristi at Top Tropicals👇



📚 Learn more about #Avocado
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🛒 Shop the Top Quality Avocado Varieties Online

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☀️ Why all Floridians want Coffee Senna in their landscape and what it has to do with Coffee

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  🌼 Beauty without the hassle! Cassia occidentalis, commonly known as Coffee Senna, Fedegoso, or Privet Cassia, offers striking beauty and practical benefits, making it an excellent choice for low-maintenance landscapes and herbal medicinal garden.
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  🌼 From spring to fall, this medium-sized shrub showcases clusters of orange-yellow flowers that look like little yellow hummingbirds from the distance and attract butterflies and bees.​ The large, red-veined leaves add ornamental value even when not in bloom.​
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  🌼 Coffee Senna thrives in full sun to partial shade and is drought- and cold-tolerant once established. ​Requires minimal care, making it ideal for gardeners seeking beauty without the hassle.​ Its spreading habit can provide a natural hedge or privacy screen.​
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  🌼 Coffee Senna gets its common name from the resemblance of its seeds to coffee beans. The seeds are dark and oval-shaped, much like coffee beans. Despite the name, the seeds are not related to the actual coffee plant (Coffea arabica). The "Senna" part of its name refers to its botanical Senna genus, which includes various species traditionally used for medicinal purposes.
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  🌼 Health Benefits of Coffee Senna

Beyond its ornamental appeal, Coffee Senna has a history in traditional medicine:​

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  ✔️Digestive Aid: The seeds have mild laxative properties, aiding in constipation relief.​
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  ✔️Respiratory Support: Infusions of the root and dried flowers are used to treat gastrointestinal issues, colds, and flu .​
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  ✔️Skin Health: Poultices made from the roots and flowers are applied to treat skin disorders such as eczema .​
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  ✔️Nutritional Value: The seeds are rich in iron and other minerals, contributing to overall health .

🛒 Plant your own Coffee Senna

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🥭 How to choose the right Mango variety?
Watch Top Tropicals on TV 📺

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  🧡 Do you love mangoes but feel overwhelmed by all the varieties? Don't worry - at Top Tropicals, we've got you covered!
• 
  🧡 Visit our garden center in Ft. Myers or BFarm in Sebring, FL, and let our fruit tree expert Kristi help you choose the perfect mango trees for your garden.

📱 Watch ABC7 Fort Myers News: Mango Varieties with Kristi at Top Tropicals👇


📚 Learn more about #Mango
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🛒 Shop the Finest Mango Varieties online

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🍀 A Beautiful and Edible Delight: Taro or Elephant Ear?

• 🪴 Colocasia antiquorum Illustris, commonly known as the Imperial Taro or Elephant Ear, is a striking ornamental plant prized for its dramatic, dark purple and green heart-shaped leaves. While it is primarily cultivated for aesthetic purposes in gardens, ponds, and containers, it does have edible potential.​
• 🪴Young Leaves: The young leaves of Colocasia antiquorum can be consumed when thoroughly cooked.
• 🪴Tuber (Corm): The corms, or underground stems, of this species are edible but must be cooked properly (may cause irritation if consumed raw). ​
• 🪴This cultivar thrives in moist, shaded environments, making it ideal for bog gardens, water features, and shaded landscapes. It prefers consistently moist or boggy soil and can tolerate dappled sunlight.
• 🪴The plant is fast-growing and can reach heights of 5–6 feet, adding a tropical flair to your garden. ​

🛒 Start growing your Colocasia Illustris

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🫐 Why is it called the Fruit of the Gods? Jambolan health benefits

• 🟣 Fragrant & Flavorful: Enjoy purplish-black berries with a sweet or mildly tangy taste, perfect raw or transformed into tarts, sauces, and jams. This Divine Berry is Syzygium cumini - Jambolan, or Java Plum.
• 🟣 Cultural & Medicinal Significance: Revered in Ayurveda, Unani and Chinese medicine, with seeds, leaves, and bark offering therapeutic uses. In Hindu mythology, it's known as the "fruit of the gods" with Lord Rama and Lord Krishna both linked to its divine history.
• 🟣 Health Benefits of Jambolan. Incorporating Jambolan into your diet can be a flavorful and healthful choice, offering a range of benefits:

· Blood Sugar Regulation: May lower blood sugar levels; low glycemic index supports healthy control.

• · Cardiovascular Support: Antioxidants reduce oxidative stress; potassium helps maintain healthy blood pressure.
• · Digestive Health: High in fiber, promoting digestion and alleviating constipation.
• · Liver Protection: Protects the liver and supports detoxification.
• · Anti-inflammatory: Reduces inflammation associated with chronic conditions.
• · Oral Health: Antimicrobial seeds help combat oral bacteria and promote dental health.
• · Skin Health: Antioxidants help fight oxidative damage, promoting youthful skin.
• · Weight Management: Low in calories, high in fiber, aids in satiety and digestion.
• · Kidney Health: Diuretic properties help flush toxins and reduce kidney stone risk.
• · Immune Boost: Vitamin C and antioxidants enhance immune function.

🟣 Privacy & Beauty: A fast-growing, bushy tree that doubles as an ornamental, forming dense screens in just two seasons, ideal for privacy or creating a beautiful barrier in your garden. Check out a video of the tree in earlier post: How to get a large, bushy, exotic fruit tree in no time.

🛒 Embrace both beauty and flavor with Jambolan!

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🎃 What's inside this bumpy Annona fruit? Delicious Health benefits!

• 🍏 Annona squamosa - Sugar Apple or Sweetsop, is not related to Apple at all; in fact it's in the same family with Ylang Ylang perfume trees - Annonaceae!
• 🍏 Sugar Apple is considered by many to be the most delicious tropical fruit. The fruit is a true treat, with pulp that resembles creamy custard, offering a flavor experience that's hard to beat. Some cultivars like Vietnam Sugar Apple Nadi - have pulp virtually melting in your mouth!
• 🍏 Sugar Apple tree starts fruiting within 3 years from seed and has compact growth habit, making it ideal for small gardens and containers. Beyond its delightful flavor and ornamental appeal, this fruit offers a variety of health benefits:

· Digestive Aid: High fiber promotes digestion and alleviates constipation.

• · Antioxidant Properties: Combats oxidative stress, reducing the risk of chronic diseases.
• · Mood Enhancement: Vitamin B6 boosts mood and helps fight depression.
• · Eye Health: Rich in vitamin A, supports healthy vision.
• · Blood Pressure Regulation: Potassium and magnesium help regulate blood pressure.
• · Skin Health: Antioxidants protect skin from oxidative damage.
• · Weight Management: Low in calories, high in fiber, promotes satiety.
• · Immune Support: Vitamin C boosts the immune system.
• · Anti-inflammatory: Reduces inflammation linked to chronic conditions.

📚 More about Annonas:

• • What fruit can help with vitamin deficiencies
• • See the Difference: Grow Plants That Protect Your Vision
• • Atemoya
• • Sugar Apple: how does it taste?
• • Guanabana - the most delicious Annona fruit
• • Top 10 fast-fruiting trees: #1. Annona
• • Why everyone wants the Sugar Apple?
• • The fastest to fruit: Annona
• • Spiny Hedgehog fruit: what does it taste like?

🛒 Plant

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🌱 Chaya's health benefits: a must-have tropical leafy vegetable for sustainable gardening

• 🌿 What is Chaya?

· Chaya (Cnidoscolus aconitifolius) is a little-known, nutrient-packed leafy green.

• · It is a small perennial tree or shrub, native to the Yucatan Peninsula.
• · Also known as Maya Spinach, Kikilchay, or Chaykeken.
• · Younger leaves and stems are used like spinach: cooked and served with oil or butter.

• 🌿 Health Benefits:

· Rich in protein, calcium, iron, and vitamins A & C.

• · Aids digestion, improves circulation, and supports lactation.
• · Used in folk medicine for diabetes, high blood pressure, and anemia.

• 🌿 Important Tip:

· Always cook the leaves (boil for 10-15 minutes) to neutralize toxins and make them safe to eat.

• 🌿 Growing Chaya:

· Fast-growing perennial, thriving in full sun to partial shade.

• · Perfect for food forests or backyard gardens.
• · Propagate easily from 6-12 inch stem cuttings and make more to eat!
• · Can grow up to 6-8 feet tall and be continuously harvested with proper care.

🌿 Garden Benefits:

• · Pretty white flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
• · Resilient to drought and thrives in various soil types. Heat and cold tolerant.

🛒 Start growing your Chaya today for a sustainable garden!

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🌸 Fun Facts About the Guava Flower

• 🌸 Frilly and Fabulous - Guava flowers may be small, but they're packed with fluffy white stamens that give them a soft, powder-puff look.
• 🌸 Pollinator Magnet - Bees and butterflies love guava blooms, making them a great addition to a pollinator-friendly garden.
• 🌸 Scent-sational - The flowers have a light, pleasant fragrance that adds a touch of sweetness before the fruit even arrives.
• 🌸 Bloom to Fruit - Each flower can turn into a delicious guava fruit, making them both beautiful and productive.
• 🌸 Part of the Showy Family - Guava (Psidium) belongs to the Myrtaceae family, which also includes eye-catching bloomers like Eucalyptus, Bottlebrush (Callistemon), and the stunning Rose Apple (Syzygium).

📚 More from previous posts about: #Guava

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🍓 What does the Strawberry Tree look like?

• 🔴 Strawberry Tree, (Muntingia calabura) also known as Cotton Candy Fruit, is a super fast-growing tree with a beautiful, dense, umbrella-like canopy.
• 🔴 Despite the name, its fruit doesn't taste like strawberries - but rather like cotton candy! Sweet, melt-in-your-mouth flavor with no acidity, making it a favorite among both kids and adults.
• 🔴 The tree gets its name from its pretty white flowers, which resemble those of a strawberry plant.

📚 Lean more from previous posts:
What is better - Strawberry or Strawberry Tree Fruit?
Why Strawberry Tree is called Cotton Candy
What fruit tree will produce right away?

🛒 Grow Sweetness – Plant the Tree Kids Love!

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