Fruiting Trees, Shrubs and Herbaceous Plants - J, K, L

++ Indicates that this is a variety or a species that is found in our arboretum, but not often stocked in our nursery. Inquire about availability. If we do not have it in stock, we can put you on our "waitlist" and call you when we have it available.

Jaboticaba

Myrciaria cauliflora, syn. Plinia cauliflora, Eugenia cauliflora

FCFS available. This unusual small tree produces its blooms and fruit right on the trunk and main branches. The fruit is much like a large, dark purple, very sweet, slipskin grape. The flavor is very good and the fruits are eaten fresh or processed into jam or wine. The skin is tough so when eating the fresh fruit it is best to squeeze the pulp out into the mouth and discard the skin and seed. Tree growth is slow and production starts in 8 to 10 years from seed. Girdling about ¼" of the bark off one of the limbs of a tree which is at least 3 or 4 years old may induce fruiting. The bark has good ability to grow back together. Cool nights are required to initiate flowering. The plant is self-fertile. The time from bloom to ripe fruit is only four or five weeks. Several crops are produced late fall through spring at ECHO. Jaboticaba trees seldom exceed 15 feet in height, can tolerate flooding and do best in a fairly fertile, well-irrigated, slightly acid soil. Large jaboticaba trees are planted in the Tropical Highlands area of the Global Village and near the nursery parking area. They have evidenced little cold damage.

Jackfruit 

Artocarpus heterophyllus

{mosimage} FCFS available. Standing roughly 40 feet tall at maturity, jackfruit produces a fruit weighing from 10 to 60+ pounds from the trunk or large branches. The fruit becomes aromatic and softens when ripe. The flesh is popular eaten out-of-hand , and contains many seeds which are boiled or roasted like chestnuts. The flesh can also be blended into a shake or made into jam. Mature but unripe fruit can be sliced and cooked. The fruit contains latex so it is a good idea before cutting the fruit to coat the knife and your hands with cooking oil. The tree is evergreen and attractive in appearance. Production can start in about three years with grafted trees or three to fourteen years from seed. Cross-pollination is helpful but not necessary. The tree does not tolerate waterlogged soil and is about as freeze tolerant as a mango. We have several jackfruit trees on our property. The oldest one is in the landscaped area between the office building and the technical building. This tree produced 13 fruits in 2001, most over 10 lbs each. There are younger trees growing near the rainforest clearing area and to your right as you enter the nursery parking area.

++"Black Gold' is another highly recommended variety that we sometimes have available as grafted trees.

++'Mia 1' is a seedling tree of Vietnamese origin from the nursery of Richard Wilson in West Palm Beach. This highly recommended cultivar bears at a young age and the fruit is of exceptional quality.

'NS-1' is a selected variety from seed that will bear in 3-4 years. This highly productive cultivar bears delicious fruit that is sweet and crisp. Note: 5 gal. size trees are already 2 years old.

Jamaica Cherry

see Strawberry Tree on page 32.

Java Apple

see Wax Jambu on page 33.

Jelly Palm

Butia capitata

This is an attractive palm with bluish foliage that produces racemes of yellow fruit with pink blush. The fruits are about 1½² wide, juicy, and fibrous with a sweet/tart flavor. They make a very good jelly and wine and have a peach aroma while cooking. To make jam, just remove the flesh from the seeds, cook with an equal amount of sugar, and then liquefy in a blender. The tree is hardy to southern Georgia, is drought tolerant, and usually bears at least two crops of fruit a year. There is a Jelly Palm tree growing on Mount Victor, and another one next to our shop building.

Jocote

see Red Mombin on page 26.

++Kei Apple

Dovyalis caffra, syn. Aberia caffra

The Kei Apple bears a bright yellow, round, 1-2 inch fruit. It has an apricot texture and is highly acid. They make an excellent drink or can be cut in half, sprinkled with sugar and then eaten after a few hours. They can be made into jam, jelly, or shortcake. Production starts in 4 to 5 years; sooner with cuttings. The fruiting season is August to October. Seedlings can be male or female though male trees are not always needed for good fruit production. The plant is a shrub or small tree and some have 1 to 3 inch spines. Kei apple performs well in most soils that do not have a high water table. This shrub can be found growing as far north as Gainesville; however, temperatures below 20° F may kill it.

++Limeberry

Triphasia trifoliata

Limeberry is a small, thorny, ornamental bush related to citrus. It produces white flowers and ½ inch wide dull red fruits, which are usually not eaten but do have a unique bitter citrus flavor. Limeberry grows well in shady conditions.

Lime leaf

see Keiffer Lime

Longan

Dimocarpus (Euphoria) longan

FCFS available. Longan is similar to the lychee but has a different flavor and ripens later, usually between July and August. Longans are also more vigorous, cold hardy, and wind tolerant than their close relative, the lychee. The tree is an attractive, symmetrical evergreen that bears clusters of golden round fruits. The leathery skin, when peeled, reveals a delectable, translucent, jelly-like fruit encasing a dark round seed. The fruit is enjoyed fresh, canned, or dried. Longan trees grow vigorously to about 35 ft. tall and spread to 45 ft. wide. Fruit production usually starts 2-3 years after planting, but it may be erratic if proper management is neglected. Post-harvest pruning, at least 6 inches below the fruit panicle, can promote better fruiting the following season. Both the longan and lychee seem to need a rest period to fruit well the following season. Withhold water and fertilizer in the fall to encourage "dormancy" (not a true dormancy) throughout the winter months. See the notes under "Lychee" on page 22 for further explanation. Resume care after the threat of freeze has passed. Mature trees can tolerate 25-26° F with small branch damage. Small trees can have stem damage at 28º F. A longan is an excellent choice for a containerized fruit tree, as it will bear heavily in a pot. We have several longans growing in our arboretum.

ECHO normally stocks 'Kohala' and sometimes has 'Chompoo', 'Doggleman', and 'Bai Dum' - a dwarf variety from Hawaii.

'Biew Kiew' is a Thai variety that fruits later than Kohala.

'Diamond River' is an Australian selection that produces medium sized fruit of excellent flavor. This late season cultivar produces fruit in September.

'Kohala' is a Hawaiian variety that produces good quality, large, sweet fruit and bears consistently heavy crops. The fruit matures early, usually in July. This is the primary cultivar recommended for home and commercial planting.

'Pepperseed White'

Loquat

Eriobotrya japonica

FCFS available. Loquats are well appreciated at ECHO. In fact, we have planted about a dozen trees (which can be seen planted behind the nursery trailer and on either side of the "A-frame" building). This subtropical fruit is a member of the Roseaceae family along with apples, pears, and peaches. Originating in Asia, loquat is now gaining popularity in North America. Most people usually like the fruit the first time they try it. A tree grown from seed may take 4-6 years to bear fruit. Seedling fruits vary from sweet to sour. Grafted trees produce more quickly and have sweeter fruit. Loquats bear clusters of small round to pear-shaped fruits. The fruit has a fuzzy peel that can be eaten or removed. The fruit also makes a good jam. Fruit flies can attack the fruit and cause it to rot. Trees are usually self-fruitful and highly productive. Fruit ripens February to April. Cold is no problem here in south Florida since it doesn't even lose its leaves after a freeze. There is little difference among the following cultivars.

'Bradenton' is a vigorous tree that bears large, 2 inch long, excellent flavored fruits. Fruit ripens late, in April.

'Jehuda' came highly recommended by another nurseryman, but we have not had any experience with this variety.

++'Christmas' is an early season variety.

++'Premier' is a slow-growing loquat with fruit that is sweet and of excellent quality. Fruit size is approximately 1 inch in diameter and 1¼ inch in length.

++'SES #2' is a variety developed by the University of Florida Experiment Station and was never officially released. Dr. Martin Price, ECHO's executive director, found this variety to be the best tasting one among the varieties in his personal collection. It has a large, yellow, sweet fruit.

++'Sherry' is another yellow-skinned, sweet cultivar.

++'Wolfe' is a productive cultivar selected by University of Florida. The fruit is slightly pear-shaped with fairly thick skin. The flesh is firm and sweet when tree ripened.

++'Gold Nugget' produces large, firm, juicy fruit with sweet, apricot-like flavor. Bears fruit late in season.

Other varieties that ECHO sometimes carries are 'Oliver' and 'Fletcher'.

Lychee

Litchi chinensis

FCFS available. Lychee is a delicious fruit with a limited range of adaptation. It only fruits in a few subtropical places in the world and southern Florida is one of these locales. Lychees are graceful and handsome evergreens with dense foliage and a rounded top. Flushes of new growth are beautiful, colored pink or red, but susceptible to wind damage. They are slow growing and if left unmanaged can become oak-sized trees. The fruit has a leathery pericarp that is easily peeled. The pulp is white and translucent with an excellent subacid flavor. It can be eaten fresh, dried, frozen, canned, or smoked, but it will not ripen off the tree. Lychee is self-fruitful and production starts in 3 to 5 years.

ECHO sells air-layered trees that are capable of producing fruit one year after propagation. Lychees have a high water requirement, but cannot stand waterlogging. In good years, they are extremely heavy producers and will require extra irrigation to increase fruit size. Lychee also has a reputation for "off years", in which little or no fruiting occurs. Lychees are dependent first of all on cold weather to induce flowering. As well, they should not have a vegetative flush after October 1. The age of the last vegetative flush is another critical factor combined with cold weather. One can reduce the liklihood of a fall leaf flush by eliminating any nitrogen-based fertilizer applications after July 31, resuming again around the start of February. Another way to prevent a fall leaf flush is to lightly prune trees (to about 6 inches below the fruit panicle) around the beginning of August to encourage or force a leaf flush before October 1. All efforts can still be for naught if we have an exceptionally mild winter. Resume care when blooming does occur, or earlier if tree show signs of stress. Lychees bear fruit during June and July. We have nine lychee cultivars in the arboretum and on Mount Victor.

'Brewster' is a hardy commercial variety that can bear consistently and heavily if trees are managed properly. The fruit is good tasting, has a beautiful red pericarp, an average-sized seed, and is more acidic than 'Mauritius'.

'Emperor' is a regal tree with beautiful flushes of pink growth. The fruit is bright red, very large, up to 2 oz each, and delicious.

++'Groff' is a seedling of 'Hak ip,' selected in Hawaii from an experiment with 500 lychee seedlings. Though fruit size is small, most fruits have tiny, undeveloped seeds. The excellent-flavored flesh is of high quality. The tree is small, bears consistently, and is a good companion tree because it is a late season cultivar.

'Hak ip' or 'Black leaf' is one of the top three lychees of China. This mid-season variety bears sweet, crisp fruit that have small seeds and high flesh content. Fruit pericarp is medium red when ripe, but the fruit can be eaten while the skin is green-red. The tree has slender dark green pointed leaves.

++'Kaimana' fruits are twice as large as 'Mauritius,' heart-shaped, and of excellent quality. It is a regular bearer where it is native, but has not yet been proven in Florida. Therefore it is recommended for the collector only.

'Mauritius' is a consistent heavy producer of commercial quality fruit. The fruit is heart-shaped with rough red pericarp; the flesh is sweet and aromatic. The tree has an irregular spreading habit that gives the tree a gangly look.

'No Mai Chee' ' is considered to be one of the finest tasting of all of the lychees. Crispy, sweet fruit and a very small seed make this lychee highly desireable. However, this variety does tend toward irregular production, fruits are small and shell colour varies between yellow and red.

++'Ohia' hails from the mountain regions of northern Thailand and is slightly more cold hardy than the other varieties. Ohia variety trees bear consistent crops of small-seeded fruit of excellent quality and sweet flavor.

'Sweet Cliff' has small leaves and is an attractive tree. 'Sweet Cliff' is an early season lychee. The trees are attractive, possess small leaves, and bear consistent, heavy crops of fruit in SW Florida. The salmon-colored pericarp encases deliciously sweet flesh and an average-sized seed. The fruit size increases as the tree becomes larger. 'Sweet Cliff' has proven to fruit the most consistently of the varieties we have on our farm.

'Sweetheart' ' is a consistent producer of very large, heart shaped fruit with small, 'chicken tongue' seeds. Production is close to that of Mauritius, a popular commercial variety. This is a good choice for door-yard production because of its reliability and high quality.