Rich purple so deep in color it’s almost black, starshaped aromatic fruit grow in abundance from tiny delicate bright white self-pollinating flowers that emerge in early spring and mid-summer. A medium sized tree 20 to 25 feet tall and spreading up to 15 feet. When bruised, crushed, or cut, the leaves and branches have a spicy resinous fragrance, which can cause respiratory discomfort in susceptible individuals. The leaves are without stipules, ovate, glossy, and held in opposite pairs. New leaves are bronze, copper, or coppery-pinkish in color, maturing to deep glossy green, up to 4 centimeters (1.6 in) long. During winter, the leaves turn red. The fruits will have a sweet-tart, acidic flavor with mild, earthy, and subtly bitter nuances, sometimes reminiscent of the vegetal earthiness found in green bell peppers.
Benefits:
Surinam cherry has various uses. Thanks to its anti-inflammatory properties, the cherry is used as a folk remedy in South America against stomach diseases. In addition, Surinam cherry is also known for its use for blood pressure reduction and bronchitis, heartburn, and colic prevention.
Black surinam cherries are especially nutritious and are great sources of dietary fiber and important vitamins and minerals like potassium and vitamin C. Women should get 75 milligrams of vitamin C a day, and men need 90 milligrams.
Sunlight:
It requires full sun. In temperate zones, the plant is grown in pots for its attractive foliage and bright fruits. In summer, Eugenia likes the heat, while it prefers winter temperatures between 46-68F (7-20C). It needs to be indoors in winter temps drop below 30F(0C) degrees.
Watering:
This plant can tolerate standing water so it should be forgiving of over watering. They need an inch of water every two weeks while they’re young. It may be a good idea to keep up with the rainfall with weather reports or a rain gauge to see how much rainwater your trees are getting.
Soil:
It grows in almost any type of soil–sand, sandy loam, stiff clay, soft limestone–and can even stand waterlogging for a time, but it is intolerant of salt. Plant on the top of a slope to avoid late spring frosts. Cherry trees are more susceptible to root diseases if grown on heavy clay soil.
Fertilizer:
Cherry trees are light feeders and prefer a low-nitrogen fertilizer such as 5-10-10 .Use a fertilizer that’s low in nitrogen late in the winter or in the early spring. About a month before your trees flower is the best time to fertilize.