IFAS Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service
The genus Garcinia has a number of popular fruit trees including
the mangosteen, which is considered the finest fruit in the word. There
are a lot of Garcinias that are grown here in Florida, with fruit
qualities ranging from very acid to some that are quite sweet.
One favorite is the imbe, Garcinia livingstonei. This slow-growing
evergreen shrub from East Africa will reach a height of about 15 feet and
attain about the same width. It has tough leathery four-to-six-inch leaves
which are white-veined and quite attractive.
The tree also has a unique growth habit, with most branches coming
out at right angles to the main stem, giving the tree an unusual form. Trees
grow slowly and this makes them ideal for pot culture; in fact, many people
grow imbe as a container tropical fruit for small landscapes.
Imbes have separate sexes, so this means you have to have both a
male and a female tree for good fruit production. Isolated female trees sometimes
produce a few fruit, but they are quite small and for optimum production
it's always best to have a male tree or a male branch grafted onto the female
tree.
Trees flower in the late spring and the fruit ripen quickly, often
maturing in mid-to-late-June. Fruits are about two inches across, bright
orange in color with a thin skin and usually two large seeds. A layer of
orange pulp surrounds the seeds and tastes somewhat like apricots.
Besides fresh eating the pulp makes an excellent jelly or jam and
can be used for fruit leathers, milkshakes and ice cream.
Trees are easily propagated by seed, but because of the slow growth
often are less than a foot high even after one year's growth. It usually
takes five to six years to reach fruiting age. There are some varieties that
have smaller seeds and more edible pulp, but no named varieties or selections
are available at local nurseries. Superior varieties can be grafted onto seedling
rootstocks and this is the method most people use to get earlier fruiting.
Trees grow best on acid soil, and on alkaline soils may develop nutritional
deficiencies, particularly in zinc. Trees should be fertilized every three
to four months with a complete fruit tree fertilizer. If you have young
trees or container plants, these can be fertilized every other month to
help speed their slow growth.
Imbes are said to have good salt tolerance and can be used fairly
close to salt water; their tough leaves are also quite wind resistant. Established
trees are considered drought-tolerant, but for optimum fruit production
some irrigation may be necessary during the spring dry season. Trees are
cold hardy and mature trees can take down to about 25°F without serious
damage.
For best growth and fruit production, keep trees where they get plenty
of sunlight, and even though they will tolerate light shade, heavy shade
will reduce fruit bearing.
© 2000 BGCII Page posted March 2004
