March 2025 Plant of the Month

Surinam Cherry
by Mary Loan
 

Who can resist a smile while admiring a shrub or small tree covered with fruits about one inch in diameter, ranging from green, to yellow, to orange and when ripe red in color and shaped like tiny pumpkins?

The Surinam cherry (Eugenia uniflora) is native to the east coast of South America and has spread north as far as Florida thanks to migrating birds and human cultivators.

In southern Florida, the plant is considered to be an invasive species.  Innocent bird droppings can result in bushes to small trees covered with fruit in places they are not welcome.

In Belize, many backyard gardens have a tree. Some home owners use the Surinam cherry as a hedge.

They are easy to grow.  Seeds can be planted in gardening bags or pots and kept watered in a sunny location until they are about one foot tall, then transplanted to a warm sunny location with ordinary soil and regular watering in the dry season. It’s best to plant seeds into loamy soil with a pH from 6.5 to 7.5.  Surinam cherry bushes grow to become small trees up to approximately twenty-five feet high, unless pruned.  Pruning is recommended to help keep the plants productive.  Trees fruit from two to three years up to six years depending on the variety.  The trees are hardy but may be bothered by maggots of the Caribbean fruit fly which decreases production, but is not fatal.  

Surinam cherries can be eaten out of hand from the tree.  It is strongly advised not to eat the fruits until they are ripe as they are extremely sour.  Ripeness is indicated by bright red color fruits becoming soft and shiny.  The unripe berries range from green to light red.  When ripe the fruits are sweet and tart with mild undertones of a resinous taste.  It is said placing the cut cherries in the refrigerator helps to dissipate the strange taste.

Surinam cherries have many nutrients and health benefits.  The fruits are high in vitamin C, provitamin A, calcium and iron. They are antiviral, anti-diabetic, anti-fungal and low glycemic.

Fruits are used to make beverages, including wine.  The cherries also are used to make jams and jellies and baked goods.  They make a colorful presentation when halved and pitted then placed on a fruit plate.