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Myrciaria floribunda
Myrtaceae FAMILY

Myrciaria floribunda

Myrciaria floribunda

Edibility
3/5
Medicinal
2/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Cultivation Details

HabitEvergreen Tree
GrowthSlow

A plant of warm, tropical lowlands in relatively dry to moist regions[1]. Prefers a fertile, deep, humus-rich soil in a sunny position[2, 3]. Plants can succeed in a variety of soils, though growth is poor if the pH is high[1]. They have a high requirement for iron[2]. Established plants are drought tolerant[3]. Newly planted young trees grow away quite slowly[4]. Plants take 6 - 8 years from seed until they produce their first crop of fruit[3]. The plant responds well to coppicing and can survive forest fires by resprouting from the roots[5].

Propagation

Seed - it has a short viability and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe. Sow in a semi-shaded position in a nursery seedbed. Germination rates are quite low, with the seed sprouting within 40 - 50 days[4]. The seedlings grow away quite slowly[4]. Cuttings Side-veneer grafting Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Myrciaria+floribunda>

Pollinators

Data unavailable

References

  1. [1]Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics : an Inventory — Martin, F. W.; Campbell, C. W.; Rubertbe, R. M. · U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service · 1987 ↩︎A booklet giving terse details of almost 300 species of edible fruits, plus regional lists of Botanical and Common names for over 2,500 less well-known edible fruits of the tropics.
  2. [2]The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. — Huxley. A. · MacMillan Press · 1992 · ISBN 0-333-47494-5 ↩︎Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
  3. [3]Tropical and Subtropical Trees - A Worldwide Encyclopaedic Guide. — Barwick. M. · Thames & Hudson, London · 2004 · ISBN 0-500-51181-0 ↩︎A superb book, very concise and well written, giving a wealth of information on 400 or more species including descriptions, habitat, cultivation details and plant uses. A wealth of colour photographs bring each plant vividly to life.
  4. [4]Brazilian Trees. Volume 3. — Lorenzi. H. · Instituto Plantarum De Estudos Da Flora; Brazil. · 2009 · ISBN 85-86714-34-4 ↩︎Information on 350 species of Brazilian trees. Stunning photographs of each species, brief details on the plant, its uses and how to grow it from seed. A superb work, with the minor irritation that the translation from Portuguese is not of the best.
  5. [5]The role of the shrub Cordia multispicata Cham. as a 'succession facilitator' in an abandoned pasture, Paragominas, — Vieira I.C.G.; Uhl C. & Nepstad D.C. · 1994 · http://10.1007/BF00044863 ↩︎
  6. [6]Cornucopia II — Facciola. S. · Kampong Publications, California. · 1998 · ISBN 0-9628087-2-5 ↩︎The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
  7. [7]Medicinal Plants of the Guianas — DeFilipps, R. A.; Maina, S. L.; & Crepin, J. · Smithsonian Museum · http://botany.si.edu/bdg/medicinal/index.html ↩︎A down-loadable PDF document of a book in pre-publication awaiting illustration. An excellent, if rather terse, guide to the traditional medicinal uses of the plants of the region