Noni, the Superfruit

Nature's Food and Pharmacy

At our Christmas Plant Market a few days ago, many guests purchased a Noni tree. Everybody loved its large, beautiful leathery leaves, and were buying Noni as a present. It was appreciated as ornamental, for example as a showy specimen tree with a tropical look for a pool area. But very few people actually knew that this tree was a source of a famous Noni Juice - a unique remedy from Mother Nature... Some were surprised the plant had so many health benefits! So we promised to tell more about Noni in our newsletter.

The Noni tree - Morinda citrifolia - is a beautiful ornamental tree because of its glossy green leaves and curious fruit. The tree is prized for its medicinal fruit.
The Noni is considered to be a "superfruit" because of its high levels of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals. The fruit, leaves, and roots of the Noni tree are used in traditional medicine to treat a wide variety of ailments, including pain, inflammation, and infections. Some people also use Noni fruit and juice as a natural health supplement because of its potential health benefits.
Additionally, the Noni tree is easy to grow and care for, making it a popular choice for both gardens and houseplant collections.

For more information on health benefits of Noni, download pdf of Noni article (from our Magazine Tropical Treasures) and watch the video: Doctor Noni.

In the photo: Noni as a houseplant. So much better than a boring ficus!

In the photo: Noni is happily fruiting in 7 gal pot. It's a beautiful ornamental and a conversation piece.

Annona montana - Mountain Soursop
Grow Your Own Food

Guava, the easiest container fruit tree

Grow Your Own Food

Guava is one of the most popular and well-known tropical fruit because it is so tasty, sweet, juicy and flavorful! Many people are familiar with it because of the large number of products made from this aromatic fruit. But very few people know that Guava tree culture is very easy and this plant can fruit in a pot right away. Guava tree start blooming and producing fruit as small as 1 gal pot size. It can be kept in compact shape, responds well to pruning, stays bushy and grows very fast. It is a perfect container fruit tree or a specimen for a tropical garden of any size.
Upon ripening, the fruit becomes soft and juicy. It may be eaten fresh, made into a juice or nectar contain fruit pulp, or made into preserves, jam, jelly, or paste. A distinctive, savory-fresh aroma of fruit is thermo-stable, thus survives processing. The guava is an excellent source of vitamins C and A.
The plant is relatively cold hardy. Our young trees, 3 months after being planted in the ground were exposed to a short period of freeze last winter (mid-20's) but they grew back without significant damage. Try to keep Guava cold-protected for the first winter, then it will be much hardier once established.
Guavas are fast growers and heavy feeders, and benefit from regular applications of fertilizer. Make sure to get some Sunshine Boosters fertilizer: Sunshine C-Cibus - Crop Booster, and feed them your round.

The fruit of Heaven:
Phyllanthus acidus - Amlak, Otaheite Gooseberry

Grow Your Own Food

This is a fun rare fruit tree to have if you like lemonade and believe in Vitamin C benefits! The tree is super easy to grow, relatively cold hardy and doesn't require any special care. It is a fast growing plant, however the mature tree is only about 20 ft so it will be well suited for any size garden, even container garden. As you can see, it happily fruits in a pot. Bright yellow fruit are beautiful and curious, they always make a conversation piece!

About Otaheite Gooseberry

Otaheite Gooseberry, or Amlak, is a rare tropical fruit tree from SE Asia and India, very close related to Phyllanthus emblica (Amla, Amlaki), however it is much cold hardy than Amla. Known as Amritphala in Sanskrit, which literally means "the fruit of heaven" or "nectar fruit". It is so called because it has many helth benefits. Amlak is one of the favorite fruit of Indian people who definitely know what is good for you! Fruit paste is a major ingredient of Chavyanprash, a popular Ayurvedic tonic. It is the richest source of vitamin C.
Fruits are borne in loose clusters, which hang from the tree trunk and main branches. Fruits are esteemed for jellies, preserves and pastries, and are great for making a delicious lemonade rich in vitamin C. There are no commercial plantings; trees grow only in home gardens.

You need to have one! Or two. We have only limited quantities.

What is the largest succulent flower in the world?
Starfish Flower - Stapelia gigantea

This is one of the most bizarre looking succulents you've even seen! Starfish Flower from Tanzania is one of the largest flowers in the plant world!
It does look like a startfish, and is absolutely beautiful! Being a succulent, the plant is very undemanding and easy to grow, doesn't need much care or water. It also doesn't mind regular irrigation, we have it in Summer Florida rains with no problem. The focal point of this plant is the fleshy, 5-pointed, star-shaped flowers (to 10-16"across), each being pale ochre-yellow with thin transverse maroon lines. It is a great container plant and very fast growing, can fill a large hanging basket within just one season. Flowers on and off during the warm season with the most profuse flowering at the end of Summer (flower buds are triggered by shortened daylight hours in fall). It is a spine-free succulent member of the milkweed (not cactus!).