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Medium-sized Fruit Trees

Avocado (Persea americana)
Avocados require well draining soil and are represented in Hawaii by various clones which mature their fruits during different seasons. Having avocado varieties from both flower types, A and B, would compliment one another by cross pollinating each other. Various selected varieties may be top worked onto a single tree to provide the home gardener with fruits throughout the year. Some recommended home garden varieties are:

Hulumanu is a good summer bearing avocado. It has oblong shaped green fruits. Type A flower.

Green Gold is a Sharwil selection developed by the University of Hawaii. Like the parent, the Green Gold is pyriform shaped, rich and nutty, with a small seed. It is a prolific bearer maturing its fruits primarily during the spring months. Type A flower.

Malama is a high quality cultivar developed by the University of Hawaii. The fall ripening, pyriform purple fruits are thick fleshed and the flavor rich and nutty. Type B flower.

Nishikawa is a 12-18 oz. green pyriform shaped fruit. It bears very rich and nutty flavored fruits in winter. Type B flower.

lhiat a winter-spring bearing variety originally from has been well accepted by home gardeners and commercial growers in Kona. It is being marketed as a gourmet avocado because of its rich nutty flavor. Fruits are green skinned when mature. Type B flower.

San Miguel is a high quality fall bearing avocado. The fruits are pyriform shaped and purple when mature. Type A flower.

Black Sapote (Diospyros digyna)
The black sapote is a relative of the persimmon from Mexico. The handsome evergreen trees with shiny dark green leaves are wind resistant. The sweet, black or dark brown flesh within the round, green skinned fruit is eaten fresh or used in making ice cream, mousses, cakes, and preserves. Fruits are excellent sources of vitamin C, calcium, and phosphorus. Bernecker is a variety with large fruits and Cuevas is a seedless variety.

Jackfruit (Artocarpus heterophyllus)
The jackfruit is an attractive, wind resistant tree from India that bears large green fruits directly from its main branches and trunk. The yellow, orange, or pink flesh within the ripe fruit from selected varieties are sweet and juicy with a crisp texture and pleasant aroma. Boiled immature fruits are commonly used as a vegetable in Southeast Asia, tasting somewhat like artichoke hearts. NS1 and Singapore jackfruits are precocious bearing varieties with small fruits. The Dang Rasimi is a vigorous growing variety from Thailand with large thick fleshed fruits. The Chompa Gob has thick salmon colored flesh. The Jackfruit-Chempedak hybrid is a Malaysian selection. The jackfruit shaped fruits have sweet, thick, soft arils easily detached from the fruit like the chempedak.


Jackfruits at different stages of ripeness	Ripe fruit	Closer view	Jackfruit arils, seeds removed

Chempedaks:

Rambutan (Nephilium lappaceum)
The rambutan is a lychee relative grown commercially in many parts of Southeast Asia for its sweet, mildly subacid, refreshing fruits. The skin of the fruit is covered with soft spines ranging in color from red, pink, or yellow. Many cultivars from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines have been introduced to Hawaii, and a few have been producing fruits after 3 to 4 years. The rambutan requires a moist, wind protected, well draining area to be grown successfully in Hawaii.

Sapodilla (Manilkara zapota)
The sapodilla is a beautiful ornamental tree, grown for its delicious, sweet fruits tasting somewhat like pears sprinkled with brown sugar and cinnamon. The trees are very adaptable to various soils and climates here in Hawaii, being tolerant to drought, coral soils, and are very wind resistant. The trees also retain much of their leaves throughout the year and have a non aggressive root system. The Alano is a local selection which originated as a seedling of the Philippine variety Ponderosa. The self fertile, productive trees produce very sweet, fine textured fruits. Other imported varieties include Makok and Gonzales.

Cupuai, Macambo, Pataxte (Theobroma bicolor)
A small/medium tree to 30-40ft. Usually grown as an understory plant in rainforests of Central and South America. Medium/large fruit, from 3-4" around mainly used in beverages. Seeds are said to be one of the best roasted and used as a flavoring much like its cacao relative. Once fruit falls off the tree, allow to ripen a few days until a strong, pleasant aroma begins to surround the fruit.