View Full Version : Naranjilla (Solanum quitoense)
Richard
05-08-2012, 09:14 PM
About 4 years ago I obtained a half-dozen Naranjilla ( Solanum quitoense (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?101253)) plants from a local nursery. Apparently customers weren't interested. This is a beautiful, exotic plant which grows well outdoors here in San Diego CA, USDA zone 10a. The plant produces flowers here almost constantly, and last year a few of them set fruit. Now my location is not tropical Ecuador, so I wasn't surprised that the ripening period was about 9 months! The flavor is definitely worth the wait. The best source of information about the plant I have come across is in Julia Morton's classic text, excerpted here: Naranjilla (http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/morton/naranjilla_ars.html).
Here's a photo of a portion of my plant, along with a snapshot of my emerging seedlings :08:
http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/image_gallery/Naranjilla_2012-05_web.jpg
http://www.plantsthatproduce.com/image_gallery/Naranjilla_seedlings_1_web.jpg
caliboy1994
05-08-2012, 10:57 PM
That's a really interesting looking plant. How cold hardy is it?
Richard
05-08-2012, 11:21 PM
That's a really interesting looking plant. How cold hardy is it?
I have no idea what the limits are.
caliboy1994
05-09-2012, 12:31 AM
Apparently it's native to highlands, so I would think it has at least some cold hardiness. It says it can't tolerate temperatures over 85 degrees though. That rules out the possibility of me growing it where I live :(
Richard
05-09-2012, 12:56 AM
Apparently it's native to highlands, so I would think it has at least some cold hardiness. It says it can't tolerate temperatures over 85 degrees though. That rules out the possibility of me growing it where I live :(
Grows here just fine in zone 10a with summer excursions to 100F and Santa Ana winds. The key has been partial shade and some shelter from the winds.
mbfirey
05-09-2012, 06:02 AM
In Colombia they call it Lulo, and it's used to make a refreshing juice. I've got some seeds started, and plant to try to overwinter it indoors and maybe get fruit next year.....
We'll see.
momoese
05-09-2012, 09:59 AM
What is the taste and texture like?
mbfirey
05-09-2012, 10:32 AM
A little like Kiwi- but different, personally I think it's almost impossible to describe the taste a fruit.
It's got a harder outside and you generally scoop out the inside.
Richard
05-09-2012, 11:55 AM
Looking at the plant and knowing it is in the same genus as tomatoes, peppers, etc. -- you'll notice that it has characteristics of eggplant in the leaves and tomatillo in the fruit, although there are no "husks". The skin is tougher than a tomatillo in fact not unlike eggplant skin. The taste of the fruit ... well it is a tomatillo that tastes strongly of sweet citrus.
nullzero
05-09-2012, 04:59 PM
Growing Naranjilla as well, though the one I am growing is (Solanum pseudolulo) was obtained from Logees. I found some online sources which said Solanum pseudolulo was suppose to be more heat tolerant.
planetrj
05-09-2012, 05:34 PM
I love this one Richard, and it looks like you got the thornless variety. I had the one with the thorns and they were QUITE obnoxious (like a cactus!), and made it hard to harvest the fruit, so I ended up drying most of the seeds, since they ended up falling off into the center of the plant trunk cluster. I would also say the fruit tastes a little like the combination of Kiwi and the tartness of a Loquat. I found the plant to be more interesting and HIGHLY attractive than waiting forever for the fruit. Especially how enormous the foliage gets. Even more interesting looking with the purple spines. They are small, and don't contain more than a tablespoon of real usable juice after you get rid of all the pulp and seeds. I do wonder if there's a noticeable difference in flavor between the spined one and the spineless.
If anyone's interested in growing something that tastes similar, and is a close relative of this and tomatillo, with more hardiness than Lulo, try growing the Physallis peruviana. They will tolerate HIGH heat and will come back from the ground with heavy frosts. If you can find specifically Physalis pubescens, this one actually has the best flavor. I have a friend up in Ventura County at one time who used to grow about 10 different types for a University, and I had the privilege to taste several. However, P. peruviana is quite tasty as well (would be my second choice).
lkailburn
05-09-2012, 10:15 PM
Great looking plant Richard! I was given two cuttings of this plant a month ago and since then they have put out about 8 leaves each, with each one larger and larger! I love the vibrant purple on the new growth
-Luke
Richard
05-10-2012, 01:44 AM
I love this one Richard, and it looks like you got the thornless variety.
Oh, mine have thorns alright. Read the link I posted earlier to Julia Morton's article. Basically, the less care you give it the more thorns it will have.
NeedForSeed
05-10-2012, 03:24 AM
Nice plant you've got there. I grew 2 of them two years back and I have some small seedlings going on this year too. Mostly I grow them for the tropical foliage but by fall it had actually started to bloom but unfortunately it was too late.
I read that they can withstand light frost and that they thrive better in cooler climates. Also they set fruit first when there are 8-10 hours of daylight.
venturabananas
05-10-2012, 11:39 AM
If anyone's interested in growing something that tastes similar, and is a close relative of this and tomatillo, with more hardiness than Lulo, try growing the Physallis peruviana. They will tolerate HIGH heat and will come back from the ground with heavy frosts. If you can find specifically Physalis pubescens, this one actually has the best flavor. I have a friend up in Ventura County at one time who used to grow about 10 different types for a University, and I had the privilege to taste several. However, P. peruviana is quite tasty as well (would be my second choice).
Off the topic of Naranjilla and on to its relatives, the ground cherries...
I see Physalis pruinosa (the name most seed sellers seem to use) listed as a synonym of P. pubescens. Anyone know if that is true, that they are the same plant? I've got P. peruviana and P. pruinosa going from seeds this year. First time I've tried growing either. So far, P. peruviana has been a much better grower for me.
NeedForSeed
05-10-2012, 03:35 PM
Off the topic of Naranjilla and on to its relatives, the ground cherries...
I see Physalis pruinosa (the name most seed sellers seem to use) listed as a synonym of P. pubescens. Anyone know if that is true, that they are the same plant? I've got P. peruviana and P. pruinosa going from seeds this year. First time I've tried growing either. So far, P. peruviana has been a much better grower for me.
I think pruinosa and pubescens are the same species. The main difference between pruinosa/pubescens and peruviana seems to be that pruinosa/pubescens is somewhat faster to set fruit and ripe. About the taste I think peruviana is supposed to be a bit sweeter. This year I'm aiming for a monster pruinosa, because I succesfully overwintered a 1m-ish bush indoors and it seems really vigorous
Richard
05-10-2012, 07:23 PM
I think pruinosa and pubescens are the same species. ...
Actually Physalis pruinosa (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/taxon.pl?318476) and Physalis pubescens (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genform.pl) are separate species.
And for more fun, there are:
Physalis alkekengi L. (red-flesh Cape-gooseberry)
Physalis grisea (Waterf.) M. Martinez (dwarf Cape-gooseberry)
Physalis peruviana L. (Cape-gooseberry)
Physalis viscosa L. (sticky Cape-gooseberry)
Physalis species and synonyms (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?9338)
Brian
06-12-2012, 09:37 PM
Do you ever see any insect pollinate the plant. I grow these and get a lot of flowers, but very few fruit relatively. A few were even seedless. They do seem to be cold tolerant. I grow them in the SF Bay Area inland where I do get frosts as well as high heat days in summer. The leaves will get damaged and drop in frosts, but the stems are hardier.
sandy0225
06-20-2012, 06:35 PM
I disagree about the thorniness varying with the amount of care you give them. I grow naranjilla every year and some plants are naturally thornless and some are very thorny grown from the same batch of seed which I grow out and save myself. If they are thorny when young, they always will be--and if they're not thorny when young it doesn't change.
They will grow at high temperatures, but if it's really hot over 90, they will need some shade and actually seem to like afternoon shade here all summer. Even though the leaves are fuzzy, you have to watch them for spider mites in dry weather, it's really the only pest problem we have with them.
Brian
06-22-2012, 01:27 PM
Mine are completely thornless. I haven't seen a plant with thorns except in pictures. If they are anything like the thorns on a Litchi Tomato then I am glad. I opened my last two fruit from last year and they were seedless again. . . wish I knew what pollinates.
Richard
06-23-2012, 02:23 AM
I disagree about the thorniness varying with the amount of care you give them. I grow naranjilla every year and some plants are naturally thornless and some are very thorny grown from the same batch of seed which I grow out and save myself. ...
Wow, that would be really unusual if the variation occurs among seeds from a single fruit. Julia Morton took copious notes on the thorniness of this plant. Another interesting source of information are the curators notes from TARS.
mbfirey
06-23-2012, 07:09 AM
Both of my seedlings have lots of thorns- does anyone think that I could get fruit overwintering them inside my sunroom?
Richard
06-23-2012, 08:53 PM
Both of my seedlings have lots of thorns- does anyone think that I could get fruit overwintering them inside my sunroom?
One of Julia Morton's observations was that the plants in the wild are thorny, while after a few years of cultivation and seed harvesting the thorns (except on leaf spines) all but disappear. I have also read about a close relative of S. quitoense that is inherently thorny.
Growing and fruiting it in your sun room is a real possibility, especially if there is both side and some overhead exposure to the sun. If you give it a large container to grow in and year-round tropical environs it is a little shop of horrors. :)
mbfirey
06-24-2012, 06:40 AM
Mine were "Smoothie Collected" seeds in Costa Rica- I always eat (drink actually) them when we're in Colombia, where they they call it Lulo.
Iochroma
07-18-2012, 10:23 AM
I have grown this plant a few times, in the S.F. Bay area; I find it a frustrating species. The plant is super thirsty and prone to pests ( esp. spidermites). When it is happy it can grow quickly and have stunningly gorgeous leaves. When it isn't happy, it can look like death is certain, only to rebound and then decline, seemingly at random. Maybe they are prone to viruses...
When you do get fruit it can be fantastically good, or kind of weird and not worth eating.
Some strains have wicked thorns, others are soft, fuzzy, and charming.
I would be very interested to hear from people who have success with this.
Brian
07-18-2012, 02:46 PM
I am also in the SF Bay Area and while I have heard of someone very close to me with the spider mite issue. Mine seem to be problem free for now minus the massive water requirement. I am actually getting more fruit set this year so hopefully I actually get seeds this time and not a few seedless fruit.
I do have a massive amount of preditory insects and spiders in my yard that pick clean some of my plants of pests. Jumping spiders seem to be the best at it.
RogerEvenBove
07-18-2012, 11:30 PM
Fascinating!! I have two Quitoenses sharing a pot that wintered over in my greenhouse and a tamarillo sitting in my garden in their pots. So far no blossoms. Any suggestions on what to use to get them going. I'm in SE Pennsylvania, so they will have to go back to jail in October.
Brian
07-18-2012, 11:40 PM
Just curious, but what sized pots? What really triggered mine to start blooming was an upgrade to a larger size. I think it was 5 gallons, but let me check. Now I put them straight into that size and get quicker blooming.
mbfirey
07-28-2012, 07:41 PM
Found my Naranjilla half-gone today- apparently those giant green worms like more than just Tomatoes!
Richard
07-29-2012, 12:04 AM
Just curious, but what sized pots? What really triggered mine to start blooming was an upgrade to a larger size. I think it was 5 gallons, but let me check. Now I put them straight into that size and get quicker blooming.
These plants become big shrubs. A 15-gallon is about right for the 1st 5 years. Expect 2-4 inch diameter trunks.
Brian
07-29-2012, 03:19 AM
Oh, wow they get even bigger. . .
Maybe my first three are just duds. I have a fourth plant I picked up from a different source that has an abundance of fruit on it at the moment.
Those tomato worms by the way seem to go for anything in the nightshade family. So watch you Cape Gooseberries and Tree Tomatos too.
sandy0225
08-14-2012, 07:23 AM
The tomato worms like tobacco too. If you keep the naranjillas fertilized well and hydrated, they will grow in smaller pots. You can prune it back, and keep it a more manageable size. I seem to have two different breeding lines. One is super thorny with a fruit that's not tasty at all. The other is variable thorny, some will be very thorny and some not at all, and those fruits are bigger and taste good. The super thorny ones I have like drier and hotter conditions than the better fruit ones.But I think anyone could get fruit On them If they're growing them in pots because we get fruit every year on ours without fail on each kind. You have to bring them in for the fall to ripen them because the season is too short. Also if you get spider mites too bad, you can pull off all the leaves and spray the trunk real well with a shampoo and water and oil solution and the leaves grow back. They are pretty tough plants really.
Richard
08-14-2012, 10:05 AM
Sandy, it might be that you have two species from Solanum sect. Lasiocarpa (http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/splist.pl?19074)
nullzero
08-14-2012, 03:46 PM
Growing Solanum pseudolulo in mostly full sun, South Orange county, Sunset Zone 21. Seems to be very happy despite the temps ranging in the 80s-90s. I recently transplanted it from a 5 gal plastic container to a 10 gal fabric.
It started to flower around august 1st, this photo is from august 6th.
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-IYnYq_IbE6I/UCCg0cjAeRI/AAAAAAAADd0/HpVlDvCbrIk/s400/P1050108.JPG
mbfirey
08-14-2012, 04:01 PM
Growing Solanum pseudolulo
That's really funny because naranjilla in Colombia is known as Lulo- so the name Pseudolulo would mean "false lulo"
nullzero
08-14-2012, 04:16 PM
That's really funny because naranjilla in Colombia is known as Lulo- so the name Pseudolulo would mean "false lulo"
Here is where I got it from.
Sweet Naranjilla (Solanum pseudolulo)-Logee's Greenhouses (http://www.logees.com/Sweet-Naranjilla-Solanum-pseudolulo/productinfo/R2172-4/)
mbfirey
08-14-2012, 04:19 PM
Funny because wikipedia has much less nice thing to say about it:
Solanum pseudolulo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_pseudolulo)
nullzero
08-14-2012, 04:52 PM
Funny because wikipedia has much less nice thing to say about it:
Solanum pseudolulo - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solanum_pseudolulo)
Logees claims its sweeter then Solanum quitoense. The plant is grafted, I want to grow Solanum quitoense as well. Just need some seeds.
CGameProgrammer
11-23-2014, 12:33 AM
Bumping this thread because I have two of these from Logee's, the older one is flowering though not yet fruiting, but it's young. Have you guys had fruit set from a pseudolulo? Did you have to hand-pollinate it? And how was the fruit quality?
venturabananas
11-23-2014, 01:30 AM
I have S. quitoense grown from seed not S. pseudolulo, but some observations might be relevant. Mine flowered for several months before ever setting fruit, which coincided with it getting warmer in spring. The fruit did take several months to ripen. The plant is very attractive and exotic in appearance. Even though it is only about 18 months old, it is already 8' high, with a spread nearly as wide, and much bigger than I want it to be. It now has perhaps 100 fruit set, many of which are ripening, but the fruit my plant produces are not spectacular in flavor, sweetness, or texture. The best description I can come up with for the flavor is to imagine a very sour kiwi. It definitely has the kiwi smell to me. I'm sure some seedlings are better than others, so I wouldn't judge all Naranjilla by my experience. But I'll probably remove mine to make room for something that makes fruit I enjoy more.
CGameProgrammer
11-23-2014, 04:12 AM
Thanks Ventura. Can you take photos of your plant? I'd like to see what they look like at that size if you don't mind.
venturabananas
11-23-2014, 11:51 AM
Thanks Ventura. Can you take photos of your plant? I'd like to see what they look like at that size if you don't mind.
They get less attractive once they are taller than head high, because what's at eye level has fewer leaves and more bare "trunk". At least that's the case with mine. I'll post photos later.
Richard
11-23-2014, 12:03 PM
Here's a photo taken about 10 days ago of the Naranjilla growing outside my home in Vista, CA. It's about 4' tall, multi-trunked, and flowers year-round. Fruit sets typically occur in the summer.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57261&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57261)
venturabananas
11-23-2014, 12:45 PM
Here's a photo taken about 10 days ago of the Naranjilla growing outside my home in Vista, CA. It's about 4' tall, multi-trunked, and flowers year-round. Fruit sets typically occur in the summer.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57261&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57261)
Yes, they are much more attractive at that height! (The "looking down on them" height.)
Richard
11-23-2014, 01:08 PM
I describe the flavor of mine as "citrus tomatillo". I rarely eat them fresh by themselves, but instead for salsas, salads, fruit medleys (fresh or baked in pastry), and sauces including curries and bbq sauce.
NeedForSeed
11-25-2014, 03:25 AM
These plants are great, although it's difficult to get them particularly big in this climate but this time I've started early so fingers crossed. I planted about 12 seeds and all of them germinated so now I've got a whole bunch of them. The majority are spineless but a couple already have huge thorns one them which will be interesting to follow.
Is it 9 months from seed to fruit or just from flowering to ripening?
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb401/Growzor/DSC_1081_zps39c4b469.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/Growzor/media/DSC_1081_zps39c4b469.jpg.html)
Feel the fuzzyness
http://i1204.photobucket.com/albums/bb401/Growzor/DSC_1082_zpsb57d6766.jpg (http://s1204.photobucket.com/user/Growzor/media/DSC_1082_zpsb57d6766.jpg.html)
venturabananas
11-25-2014, 11:39 AM
I didn't take notes on flowering, fruit set, and ripening, but I think around 6 months from fruit set to ripe fruit is about what it has been taking for fruit set in spring.
NeedForSeed
11-26-2014, 08:28 AM
Oh, then it's pretty much game over for me. I'll just focus on growing huge leaves and thorns instead :cool:
venturabananas
01-13-2015, 12:57 AM
Here are some photos of a plant that is about 8' tall in my yard.
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57378&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57378&ppuser=7760)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57375&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57375&ppuser=7760)
http://www.bananas.org/gallery/watermark.php?file=57377&size=1 (http://www.bananas.org/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=57377&ppuser=7760)
CGameProgrammer
01-13-2015, 04:15 AM
That's very impressive looking; makes me look forward to mine eventually fruiting. In your experience, at what times of the year does it produce ripe fruit?
venturabananas
01-13-2015, 12:23 PM
Mine has had ripe fruit from summer to now. It looks like it might have them year-round in my climate, but I haven't had it long enough to know.
I think few people would want to eat them fresh, out of hand. They're just too sour. But I could see them being good in sauces and drinks, like Richard mentioned. One of my friends decided to try a martini made with some of the juice. It was quite good.
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