Garcinia sp. Achachairu Seeds
Nomenclature Clarification: Garcinia sp. Achachairu is almost always written incorrectly as Garcinia humilis. The true Garcinia humilis is native to the Caribbean (growers claim to have found it in Jamaica, Trinidad, and Puerto Rico) and is it commonly called coco macaque, hat stand fruit, or Napoleon's Button in Trinidad. It is so rare that pictures are not even available of it on the internet and seeds/plants are never traded. That said, eventually germplasm will surface for trade and we are preemptively clarifying that there are two separate species. So, to be clear, here we are selling Achachairu, the fairly common fruit that everyone loves.
Source: Dictionary of the English/Creole of Trinidad & Tobago: On Historical Principles
https://books.google.com/books?id=_n82hsbDJBMC&pg=PA995&lpg=PA995&dq=Garcinia+humilis+hat+rack+tree&source=bl&ots=zpR-87cBNg&sig=ACfU3U3aR4iP2aAf3pGR-i1KtZ02FOso9g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiim92tvqX1AhWJSjABHce4AjQQ6AF6BAguEAM#v=onepage&q=Garcinia%20humilis%20hat%20rack%20tree&f=false
There is a lot of information online about Achachairu and thus we will only add our commentary. Achachairu is the best Garcinia for zones 10a and 10b due to its high productivity, excellent taste, and its relative ease to grow compared to other Garcinias. There are other Garcinias that are also great for zones 11-13 which is the true tropics. This one does fine in the subtropics, maybe even a bit into 9b with some extra work. The fruit has has excellent shipping and handling characteristics making it a serious opportunity for commercialization which has already begun in Australia and Homestead, Florida. We have stored these fruit in our kitchen (air conditioned at room temperature) for up to three weeks after picking with no significant decrease in fruit quality. The tree sets fruit at around 7-8 years old and needs to be grown in full or partial shade until the basal reaches one inch caliper. The musky citrusy flavor is 10/10 and one off the best tasting fruits I (James Farwell) have tasted.
From Wikipedia:
Garcinia humilis, known commonly as achachairú or achacha, is a small, prolifically fruiting tree related to the mangosteen. It grows in the southern part of the Amazon basin in the central area of Bolivia, but has recently been planted on a commercial scale in Burdekin, Australia. The fruit took third place in the 2012 Fruit Logistica Innovation Awards held in Berlin.[1]
Appearance[edit]
The achacha has an appealing colour and form and is very decorative. It is egg-shaped, up to 6 cm long by 4 cm in diameter. It takes on a reddish-orange shade when mature. There is usually one significant coffee-coloured seed, but larger fruit may have more than one seed.
Eating the fruit[edit]
The taste is described as both bitter and sweet and is somewhat reminiscent of lemonade. The rather tough, bitter rind can be split open with a knife or with the teeth, and the edible part of the fruit sucked off the seed.
The Queensland Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry has found that the fruit keeps well for four to six weeks as long as it stays out of the fridge. It recommends storing the fruit at 15 to 20 degrees Celsius with a high relative humidity. If these conditions are not met, the fruit will shrivel.[2]
The glossy orange rinds of the achacha may be put in a blender with water. Once pureed and then strained to remove all of the solids, this liquid may be diluted and sweetened to one's taste, then chilled for a refreshing summer drink.