Rio Grande Cherry;Cherry of the Rio Grande – Eugenia aggregata

Plant family: Myrtaceae

Plant origin: Brazil.

Fruit description: The Rio Grande Cherry is also known as Cherry of the Rio Grande. Rio Grande Cherry has a glossy dark purple to black fruit which is fleshy and about 2cm in diameter. Unripe fruit is orange-red. The flavour is delicious, cherry-like and very sweet. It has a thin skin, are pear shaped, and have 1 small inedible seed.

Flowers: The flowers are abundant, fragrant, white, with 4 petals and fluffy stamens.

Growing conditions: The Rio Grande Cherry is a hardy ornamental evergreen shrub, growing to 2.5 metres, with a bushy shape. The leaves are glossy, waxy, and green up to 4cm long. The smooth trunk is pretty with colourful leopard like markings as the bark peels. These plants thrive in slightly acidic, well-drained soils, containing plenty of organic matter. Feed the plant 3 times a year with general fertiliser. They like sun either half a day or all day. Water regularly in hot dry weather. It can tolerate frost, warm, subtropical or tropical climates. They can be grown in a pot and look very attractive.

Uses: Eat the fruit fresh. Rio Grande Cherry fruit make an excellent base for flavouring jam or jellies. Rio Grande Cherry can be frozen.

Medicinal uses:

Pollination requirements: Self-Pollinating.

Harvest time Rio Grande Cherry Fruit ripen in Spring and Summer, about 5 weeks after flowering, they become dark in colour.

Plant relatives Rio Grande Cherry is related to other Eugenia species including: Araca Boi, Grumichama, Australian Beach Cherry, Brazilian Cherry, Giant Lau Lau. They are closely related to the Lilly Pilly and other Syzygium species.

Special features:

Grown by method: Seed Grown Pot size: 100mm

Plant growing Height and Width for pots or in the ground planting: Grows to 2 metres high by 1.5 metres wide if Planted in a Pot. Grows 2.5 metres high by 2 metres wide if Planted in the Ground.

Shipping plant pot or planter bag size: 175mm