Eugenia speciosa (Pitangao, Laranjinha Do Mato, Ibaijuba) Seeds
Eugenia speciosa (Pitangao, Laranjinha Do Mato, Ibaijuba). Description from Frutas No Brasil; Harri Lorenzi et all.
Subshrub less than 1 m tall in the coastal restinga areas, and semideciduous tree of 10-20 m in Mata dos Pinhais, native to coastal restingas and high altitude forests from Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul. Simple leaves, petioles, chartaceous, discolored, glabrous, 3-5 cm long (smaller in subshrub forms). Flowers solitary, axillary, white, with a peduncle of 15-20 mm, formed in October-November. Fruits globose or piriform, smooth or slightly warty, sometimes slightly ribbed, crowned by persistent sepals, with a fine fleshy pulp, a little spongy and with a sweet taste, containing 1-3 seeds; maturation in December-January.
Uses. It is an occasionally cultivated fruit tree and relatively frequent in its natural habitat; the fruits are consumed locally in natura, as well as in the form of jelly. Tree forms produce better-tasting fruit.
Propagation. Mainly by seeds, with slow seedling development