Red Stopper Cherry

Rare plant from Key West

by Mark Hooten, the Garden Doc

Eugenia rhombea, commonly known in Florida as "Red Stopper", is one of four species of Eugenia native to North America. It is a beautiful small tree, bearing small shiny deep green leaves which are pinkish-orange-red when young, giving them the appearance of a flowering tree at a distance when flushing out new growth a number of times a year.
Its native range includes Florida, Bahamas, Cuba, Hispaniola and part of Eastern Central America. However, here in Florida, it is federally listed as an endangered species, only known from the lowermost Everglades and Keys, where even there it is rare.
These elegant little trees grow to perhaps 12 or so feet tall, developing an elegant, umbrella shaped canopy. At a distance, they rather resemble Ficus benjamina, yet with a more orderly and refined appearance. In addition, they develop fluffy white flowers with a delightful fragrance, followed by holly-like long lasting red berries which are relished by wonderful song birds.
Although appearing delicate, this tropical species is surprisingly hardy, and would likely even make striking, a one-of-a-kind houseplant in the North.
These very few plants were grown from seeds collected near Royal Palm Hammock in the Everglades, and and may not be available again for some time...

Cashew Nut tricks and challenges

Q: I bought a cashew plant in May of this year it has been slow-growing well then all of a sudden it started dying. I have cut it back halfway down. So a plant that was close to 3 ft tall is now 1 1/2 feet. I see new leaves trying to spring closer to the root. Help! It's in a huge 18"wide pot, I have not put it in the ground yet. I am in the Orlando area.

A: Generally speaking, Cashew is not the easiest plant to grow. Cutting it down added more stress to the plant. A few thoughts:

1) Chances are, the tree was over-watered (possibly summer rains, we had pretty wet summer this year in FL). Cashew trees are very sensitive to over-watering while young. Considering it sits in pretty large pot, this may have created soggy conditions. Don't bother repotting the plant now, just try to reduce watering. We have less rains now. If you have automatic sprinklers, move it away from sprinkler so you can control moisture manually. Even better - move it under roof (lanai, etc) where it still can get lots of bright light, but you can control water.

2) In Orlando, winters are too cold for this tree. Make sure to protect it from cold - bring inside when temperature drops below 65F, especially considering that the plant is still struggling.

3) Keep in mind that Cashew is semi-deciduous tree, meaning it looses leaves during cooler period. If all leaves are gone but the stem still green (after nail scratch) - just give it time, it may start growing vigorously in Spring.

4) You may apply Sunshine Boosters with every watering (which should be once a week, or even less frequent if the soil is still moist) - SUNSHINE C-Cibus - Crop Nutrition Booster

Keep the plant in full sun or at least very bright filtered light. It must be always warm. Bring inside if below 65F.

Photo above: Cashew Tree flowers are so amusing!

TopTropicals from Bird's Eye

Watch new video: Top Tropicals Garden Retreat Events

Join us every 1st Saturday of the month for an Open Air Market showcasing luscious tropicals, rare exotics, fruiting trees, fragrant perennials and much more!
San Carlos Park Music will be playing their hearts out and creating amazing music from 12:00 - 3:00 p.m. beneath our lovely Royal Poinciana! More events will be posted soon to our Facebook Event page. Keep up with our updates!

Stay updated with TopTropicals Videos by subscribing to our channel at YouTube.com/TopTropicals and get our latest video news of what is fruiting and blooming!

The best Loquat varieties with big, sweet fruit

Q: I'm interested in loquat and read through the varieties you offer but wanted your recommendation. I'm looking for a variety that is big, sweet (not tart) with 1 seed. Of the varieties you offer... Which variety would you recommend?

A: From our experience, the most popular Loquat variety is Christmas. It is an early ripening type hence the name Christmas. Fruits are very large for a loquat, they are bright yellow with a tangy apricot flavor.
Another good variety we recommend is Yehuda - it has a large fruit and very small seed Also, variety Oliver for many years has been considered the best loquat for South Florida. The fruiting season is March to May. It has medium to large fruit. The fruit is very sweet with only one-two seeds.
Loquats are very cold hardy tropical fruit trees, easy to grow, drought tolerant, fast growing. Fruit is great for eating fresh or making jam.

Check them out while they are on sale!

Delicious Turkish Brown Fig

...Did you know that figs were among the very first plants grown in the hot and arid Middle East? Fast growing and utterly delicious, they soon made their way all over the Mediterranean, transported aboard ships and on the backs of camels...
If you are a fig lover, you may be tempted to grow your own. Market-bought figs are never as good and tasty as your own, homegrown figs. They just simply do not keep well in supermarkets. Fast growing, undemanding and low maintenance, figs will bear fruit in just two years, often bearing two crops in a year. Another plus is that they are not bothered by too many pests and are self-fertile. Apart from the delicious fruit, any fig tree will add beauty and shade to a garden...

Tropical Treasure magazine # 13 (3) 2010:
- Hard copy
- PDF Download