Yes - I tried to sprout the seeds several times and failed every time..

Scott

Very interesting... I had never heard of it before, and the photos reminded me instantly of the "strawberry tree" or Arbutus, but I see that it is in a different genus, a bayberry.

I wonder what it's hardiness is? It is described as subtropical, but many of the places it is listed as growing in sound a little more temperate.

Hopefully someone with direct experience will chime in...

I think it will grow in zone 10. The fruit tastes like a cross of a sour cherry and a plum. The most interesting thing about it is the texture, it has "druplets" like raspberries except they are much longer and very thin so you get this interesting texture experience when munching them.

If I lived in zone 10 I'd probably try to track down a plant but if I'm going to go to all the work to grow it in my climate I'd rather be growing mangoes or lychees.

Scott

Scott,

I am glad you had the chance to experience it. Too bad that it is not hardy for our zone.

Tony

I had some and eventually lost all of them before they got big enough to fruit. My first one was a rooted cutting from a seed grown tree in a local plant collection. Mine lasted for 4 or 5 years but only the last year was it planted in the ground. We had a mild winter and it still suffered and died in late Spring. Before it died a friend was going to Japan to import some plants for research and offered to pick me up some if he could find them. He did, and I got 4 named cultivars. The one named 'Zuiko' lasted the longest but only ever got to about 2.5 feet tall. I had some rare fruit folks wanting cuttings so I took some when I pruned it. After a month I checked the cuttings and though they looked happy and healthy not a one of them had developed any roots. When they went further downhill the mother plant also up and died - for no apparent reason. I sent the remaining cuttings away and have never heard how they did but they looked awful when I packaged them up so I doubt they made it.

Every year or so there is a group of fruit tree collectors in CA that organize a group order out of China. So far no one has offered to house some trees and then ship them to me on the east coast. From what I hear most of those imports have also died over time. The only people having any success with Myrica rubra are grafters, grafting onto other Myrica species.

I think that anyone living where tangerines/clementines grow should be able to grow them but they do like acid soil and mild weather.

No one I know of has any success with seeds. The seeds I've tried rotted after three years (I'm a patient gardener). The Japanese nurseries go through a complex process of sowing and chilling for 20 or 30 days, then warming for 20 or 30 days. They remove any seeds that have rotted or sprouted and keep up the treatment until all the seeds are gone. It can take years to get all the seeds to sprout.

I'd love to try to grow one out here, I understand they do well in San Diego county, especially towards the coast. Not sure where I could find one, though. Might try contacting Exotica Nursery here in Vista. I would think if anyone has them, Exotica will. Or, possibly Ong Nursery.

Patty S.

I got some seeds from Trade Winds and on the package it said, "may germinate with loose, warm soil, or it may take 12 weeks of cold stratification." However, this is a tropical plant. So do I need to stratify or just plant? I live in south Texas and might be moving to Florida so I'm racking up on my tropicals haha.