Plant in full sun and irrigate occasionally with deep watering. Mature plants are cold hardy to 18° F, but protection required when younger. This is a very nice looking ornamental small tree that also produces tasty fruit.

This plant has long been called Eugenia aggreagata in the trade but we believe this plant correctly to be Eugenia involucrata. The 1996 article in the Proceedings of the Florida State Horticultural Society (109:1996) titled "Cherry of the Rio Grande" by Ralph Sharpe and Wayne Sherman of the Department of Horticultural Sciences at the University of Gainesville, Florida sheds some light on this name. In this article it is noted that in Brazil the plant is known as Eugenia involucrata DC as it was described by Augustin Pyramus de Candolle in 1828. In Brazil it has also been known under the synonyms Phyllocalyx involucrata, P. Phyllocalyx laevigatus and in older publications (Texeira 1954) as Myrcianthus edulis or Eugenia edulis; but, in English literature it has long gone under the name of Eugenia aggregata Kiersk. The use of this name comes from a 1958 University of Florida bulletin titled “Miscellaneous Tropical and Subtropical Fruits; Florida Fruits” written by H.Mowry, L.R. Troy and H.S. Wolfe that noted that the plant, 'Cherry of the Rio Grande', was introduced from Brazil as Myrciaria edulis Skeels and has been tentatively identified as Eugenia aggregata. This was followed in 1959 by legendary tree man and author Edwin Menniger's treatment of the plant in his Trees of the World where he noted that for this plant the "nomenclature here is very confusing", and that Eugenia aggregata was a synonym for E. condensate Baker, a tree of Madagascar and not Brazil. This led to an investigation that determined that the introduction dated back to seeds known to be this same Cherry of the Rio Grande, but labeled Myciara edulis that were received in the 1930's by William Ott in Whittier, CA. Mr. Ott, whose collection data indicated that the plants came from an area 150 to 200 miles north of Sao Paulo, Brazil, sent seedlings to Dr. H.S. Wolfe in Florida in 1938 and these fruited and seedlings were further distributed as Myciara edulis in 1941 but after 1955 as Eugenia aggregata. Since this plant is known in its native land under the name Eugenia involucrata and the name Eugenia aggregata was used as a synonym for another plant from Madagascar, Ralph Sharpe and Wayne Sherman note that the name Eugenia involucrata should take precedence.

Our plants are from seed off the only known specimen in Santa Barbara, a 25-foot-tall tree that had been planted as a seed in the 1950's by Dr. Melville and Geraldine Sahyun, at Dr. Sahyun's pharmaceutical research lab, which is now the location of the Santa Barbara County Genealogical Society offices. This unique tree was moved in July 2009 to make room for an expansion of the society's library. Prior to the move both seed and cuttings were collected as insurance, should the tree not survive the move. The tree was expertly side boxed into a 12-foot-wide box over a 6-month period and then moved by Valley Crest Tree Company (now BrightView) to a prominent location on the same property. This tree is visible from Castillo Street between Highway 101 and West Montecito Street. 

The information about Eugenia involucrata displayed on this web page is based on our research conducted in the nursery's horticultural library and from reliable online resources. We also include observations made about it as it grows in our nursery gardens and other gardens we have visited, as well how the crops have performed in containers in our nursery field. We will also incorporate comments we receive from others and welcome hearing from anyone with additional information, particularly if they can share cultural information that would aid others in growing this plant.