The August Tropical Garden Grow Guide plant of the month was 'Plums of Belize' featuring the June plum, Governor, and Marian plum.  Other varieties of the Chrysobalanus icaco family include the summer plum, May plum, red Mombin, Jocote, Indian jujube.  Cocoplums belong to a distinct plant variety; Chrysobalanaceae. The fast growing bushes thrive in coastal, salty, windy growing conditions and are drought resistant.  They have a unique tasty oily edible pit with a sweet almond taste.  The fruits of the cocoplum vary in appearance and taste, from white to pink to purple.  The common cocoplum comes in shades of pink with a soft texture similar to a marshmallow and to some people tastes like sweet cotton candy.  

Cocoplums are evergreen shrubs that grow to become small bushy trees with glossy green leaves.  The wood is hard and is used in construction.  The shrubs are often used as privacy fences or wind blocks.  The bushes are rugged and thrive in tropical coastal locations.  They are sometimes considered to be invasive and are at little risk for extinction.  The cocoplum attracts honey bees and native pollinators and provides food for wildlife and humans.

To plant a cocoplum in your yard you do not have to live near the ocean.  A sunny well drained location will do.  They are tolerant to all kinds of soils, preferably pH 6.6-8.4. They are seldom bothered by insects and diseases.  (However, the one in our orchard has declined in the past 5 years and a worm or two found their way into the fruit.) Dig a hole twice as wide as the root ball preferably during mild weather to give the plant a chance to grow.  Space the plants 3 to 5 feet apart for creating a fence or up to 10 feet apart for individual bushes. 

The nutritional profile of cocoplums includes vitamins A, C and K, antioxidants and fiber.  The bark has been used to create a black dye and has been used shaved from the tree and boiled as a tea to be used to stem diarrhea.  The edible kernel contains s sweet healthy fat.

Cocoplums are enjoyed picked fresh from the tree, including the tasty edible sweet kernel that may be eaten raw or roasted.  The fruits are often stewed with sweetener and/or made into jelly or jam, especially the darker fruits. 

If you are looking for a rugged bush or specimen for your yard that requires little care ask around for a nursery that propagates by stem cuttings rather than grown from seed to ensure the new growth is identical to the parent plant.