University of Florida Plant Information

Vanilla

Scientific Name: Vanilla planifolia

Vanilla planifolia is the plant responsible for natural vanilla flavor. These vanilla orchids grow as vines in south Florida, USDA Hardiness zones 10a to 11a. They are found climbing up host trees and flowering in the branches. The leaves are oval shaped, bright green, and range in length from 3 to 24 inches. The bell-shaped blooms come in white, yellow, or pink.

Achachairu — a Potential Fruit Crop for Florida

HS1462

Introduction

Garcinia humilis, commonly known as achachairu (ah-cha-chay-ROO), is a tropical-fruit bearing crop that is emerging in south Florida. Tough native to the Amazon rainforest, achachairu also grows widely in the Caribbean and South and Central America (Oliver et al. 2018; USDA 2020). Its genus, Garcinia, falls under the Clusiaceae family—formerly known as Guttiferae—and includes several tropical and sub-tropical fruit species. Te fruits have attracted certain US markets because achachairu is rich in vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and many other nutrients. Achachairu’s current use is limited and localized. Tis publication provides an overview of achachairu growth in Florida to help Extension faculty, growers, crop consultants, certifed crop advisors, environmentalists, agricultural-policy makers, and students to better understand the potential of achachairu (G. humilis).

1. This document is HS1462, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 2023. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.uf.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Sergio Gutierrez, former student intern, Horticultural Sciences Department; Tatiana Sanchez, Extension agent II, commercial horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension Alachua County; Zhaohui Tong, former associate professor, Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering; and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, Florida 32611.

Carambola Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

HS12

Scientific Name: Averrhoa carambola L.

Common Names: carambola, star fruit (starfruit), bilimbi, and five-finger

Family: Oxalidaceae

Relatives: bilimbi, oxalis

Origin: Southeast Asia

Distribution: Carambolas are cultivated throughout many tropical and warm subtropical areas of the world. In the US, carambolas are grown commercially in southern Florida and Hawaii. In Florida, carambolas are grown commercially in Dade, Lee, Broward, and Palm Beach counties.

History: Carambolas have been cultivated in southeast Asia (e.g., Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka) for centuries, and trees were introduced in Florida over 100 years ago. Fruit from the first introductions into Florida were tart. More recently, seeds and vegetative material from Thailand, Taiwan, and Malaysia have been introduced and sweet cultivars have been selected.

Importance: As consumers become more familiar with carambola (also called star fruit), commercial acreage and production will increase throughout the tropical and subtropical world. Currently, the major producers include Taiwan, Malaysia, Guyana, India, Philippines, Australia, Israel, and the United States (Florida and Hawaii).

Warning: People who have been diagnosed with kidney disease should not eat carambola (star fruit) unless their doctor says that it is safe for them to eat. This fruit may contain enough oxalic acid to cause a rapid decline in renal function.

1. This document is HS12, one of a series of the Department of Horticultural Sciences, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date August 1981. Revised April 1994, August 2005, May 2007, and November 2016. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Jonathan H. Crane, professor, tropical fruit crops specialist; UF/IFAS Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL 33031.

Coffea arabica Coffee

FPS135

Scientific name: Coffea arabica

Pronunciation: KOFF-ee-uh uh-RAB-bick-uh

Common name(s): coffee

Family: Rubiaceae

Plant type: shrub

USDA hardiness zones: 10B through 11 (Figure 4)

Planting month for zone 10 and 11: year round

Origin: not native to North America

Invasive potential: not known to be invasive

Uses: fruit; specimen; container or above-ground planter; hedge; near a deck or patio; espalier; border

Availability: somewhat available, may have to go out of the region to find the plant

1. This document is FPS135, one of a series of the Department of Environmental Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 1999. Revised October 2023. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.
2. Edward F. Gilman, professor, Department of Environmental Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Cocoplum (Chrysobalanus icaco L.) Identification and Uses

ENH1289

Family: Chrysobalanaceae (cocoplum family)
Common Names: cocoplum; fat pork; icaco
Origin: central and south Florida; West Indies; Mexico; 
Central America; northern South America; West Africa
USDA Zone: 10A‒12B (32°F minimum)
Plant Type: shrub; small tree
Growth Rate: moderate, coastal ecotype; fast, inland ecotype
Typical Height: 6-feet coastal ecotype; 20-feet inland ecotype
Leaf Persistence: evergreen
Leaf Type: simple, entire
Flower Color: white
Fruit Color: purple; white, sometimes blushed pink
Light Requirements: full sun; moderate to light shade
Soil Requirements: acidic to alkaline; clay to sandy; seasonally saturated to seasonally dry
Drought Tolerance: medium

1. This document is ENH1289, one of a series of the Environmental Horticulture Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date March 2018. Visit the EDIS website at http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu.

2. Stephen H. Brown, horticulture agent, UF/IFAS Extension Lee County; and Marc S. Frank, Extension botanist, UF/IFAS Plant Identification and Information Service, University of Florida Herbarium; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611

Goji Berry—a Novel Nutraceutical “Superfruit” for Florida Master Gardeners

HS1391

Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) is a native shrub to China belonging to the Solanaceae family. Common names of the crop include Chinese wolfberry, Himalayan goji, Tibetan goji, Fruktus Iycii, gougizi, goji berry, matrimony vine, Chinese boxthorn, Ningxia wolfberry, red medlar, and mede berry. It is widely cultivated and used throughout the arid and semiarid regions of northwest China (Figure 1). Goji berries have been used in both fresh and processed forms for food and medicine for more than 4,000 years in China (Wang et al. 2015). The goji berry fruit is known as a “superfruit” thanks to its high levels of vitamins and minerals, as well as other medicinal benefits recognized in many countries around the world. The term “superfruit” is frequently used to refer to fruit extraordinarily rich in antioxidants and nutrients (Chang et al. 2018; Himelrick 2018). Goji berry has nutraceutical properties. Nutraceuticals, also called “functional foods,” aid in the prevention or treatment of certain diseases and disorders. Since the 2000s, goji berry has been sold in Western countries as a nutraceutical product and as an antiaging remedy. Thanks to effective marketing strategies, this crop has rapidly grown in North America, southeast Europe, and the Mediterranean over the last several years (Potterat 2009). 

1. This document is HS1391, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date October 2020. Revised January 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Yujie Jiao, visiting PhD student, and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Psidium littorale, Cattley Guava

Fact Sheet ST-529

Scientific name: Psidium littorale

Pronunciation: SID-ee-um lit-aw-RAY-lee

Common name(s): Cattley Guava, Strawberry Guava

Family: Myrtaceae

USDA hardiness zones: 10 through 11 (Fig. 2)

Origin: not native to North America

Uses: container or above-ground planter; espalier; fruit tree; recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; near a deck or patio; shade tree; specimen; no proven urban tolerance

Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range

Atemoya Growing in the Florida Home Landscape

HS64

Common names for atemoya: annon, custard apple

Scientific name for atemoya: Annona squamosa x A. cherimola and A. cherimola x A. squamosa hybrids

Family: Annonaceae

Origin: The atemoya is derived from man-made and natural hybrids.

Relatives of atemoya: sugar apple (Annona squamosa), cherimoya (A. cherimola), soursop (A. muricata), custard apple (A. reticulata), pond apple (A. glabra), ilama (A. diversifolia)

Distribution: Atemoyas are grown throughout the subtropics and tropics. In Florida, atemoya production is restricted to warm locations along the lower southeast and southwest coasts. However, home landscape trees may be found along the southeastern shore of Lake Okeechobee and in warm protected locations along the lower east and west coasts. Importance: Atemoya trees are not common in the home landscape. However, due to their superior cold tolerance and excellent fruit quality atemoya trees should be more widely planted in south Florida.

Florida Cultivation Guide for Malabar Spinach

HS1371

Malabar spinach (Basella spp.) is a nutritious vegetable in the family Basellaceae. It is native to tropical South Asia, including the Indian subcontinent and New Guinea. It was probably naturalized in China, tropical Africa, Belize, Brazil, Colombia, Fiji, French Polynesia, and the West Indies (Fisher et al. 2010, Baksh-Comeau et al. 2016). This species can be found in tropical regions of Africa, South America, and Southeast Asia today (Deshmukh and Gaikwad 2014). Malabar spinach goes by many names, including Indian spinach, Ceylon spinach, vine spinach, and climbing spinach. In Mandarin Chinese, Malabar spinach is called “Muercai” or “Luokui” (Deshmukh and Gaikwad 2014, Singh et al. 2018). Malabar spinach has long been established in cultivation in China and India. This spinach is a potential cash crop to Florida, being grown currently only for niche markets. However, Florida’s suitable climate coupled with Malabar spinach’s great taste and nutritional quality suggest that this crop has great potential for commercial production (Parkell et al. 2016, Stephens 2018).

1. This document is HS1371, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date September 2020. Revised January 2024. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Yuheng Qiu, OPS Technical, M.S., and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.

Waterleaf, a Potential Leafy Vegetable for Florida

HS1434

Waterleaf is a vegetable crop native to and grown in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America (USDA, NRCS 2020). This crop belongs to the purslane family, Portulaceae (Carolin 1987). Waterleaf (Talinum triangulare (Jacq.) Willd) is often used interchangeably with Talinum fruticosum (L.) Juss (Schippers 2000). Waterleaf is commonly known as Ceylon spinach, Surinam purslane, Philippine spinach, Grassé grand pourpier, Blatt-ginseng, Lustrosa-grande, Espinaca de Java, and Sweetheart (USDA, NPGS 2020). Waterleaf is a short life-span species and takes an average of only 30–45 days from planting to harvest (Iren et al. 2017). The edible leaves are soft, succulent, and highly nutritious (Figure 1). Waterleaf does not appear on the list of invasive plants species evaluated by the UF/IFAS Assessment (http:// assessment.ifas.ufl.edu). This vegetable is available in some local grocery stores in Florida but is new to most people in Florida and its environs. This article will give an overview of this emerging vegetable in Florida. The intended audience is county Extension faculty, students, growers, and consumers.

1. This publication is HS1434, one of a series of the Horticultural Sciences Department, UF/IFAS Extension. Original publication date February 2022. Visit the EDIS website at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu for the currently supported version of this publication.

2. Christianah T. Oladoye, student intern, and Guodong Liu, associate professor, Horticultural Sciences Department; UF/IFAS Extension, Gainesville, FL 32611.