Cherry Of The Rio Grande (Eugenia Involucrata)

Cherry of the Rio Grande, also known as Big River Cherry is a rare, beautiful tropical fruit tree native to Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.  It is a rare and unique Eugenia related to Surinam Cherry, Pitanga, Grumichama and Pitomba.  Despite being a tropical plant, the Cherry of the Rio Grande is quite drought tolerant and mature trees will withstand a frost. 

The oblong fruits emerge just weeks after flowering with a pale pink to red skin and mature to a dark red-wine and almost purple-black color. It has a bold, sweet flavor and can be described as a combination of cherry and plum, and some even say hints of banana.  It has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and high amounts of vitamins A and C, B-complex vitamins, as well as a small amount of iron, magnesium and potassium.