PITANGATUBA

(Eugenia neonitida)

A portion of pitangatuba plant

Family: Myrtaceae

Synonyms:  Eugenia nitida

Other names:  Ivai

Pitangatuba is a very minor fruit of Brazil.  It mostly grows wild in the Atlantic forest in the Brazilian State of Rio de Janeiro.  Sometimes it is also planted by people in home gardens.

Description:

An evergreen  medium sized shrub, 1-2 m tall, clump forming with dense horizontal branches. As folhas são rijas quando velhas e pubescentes (coberta de penugem) quando novas, subsseseis (com haste ou suporte muito curto) na base e apiculada (com ponta abrupta) no apice.

Pitangatuba fruits

Leaves chataceous, quassi sessile, dorsal surface dark green and glabrous, ventral surface light green, softly pubescent, lustrous, 3-5 cm long.

Flowers anbdrogynous, white, arranged on terminal pseudo-racemes with uniflorous peduncles.

            Fruto oblongo de 7 cm, costado como uma pitanga gigante, de polpa espessa, acidulada e muito suculenta, perfumadíssima. Sabor agridoce e agradável, tornando-se mais doce quando cultivada a pleno sol.Fruit oblong, alate costate, 7 cm wide, skin thin, pulp thick, carnose-succulent, flesh thick, acidic and very juicy, aromatic.

            Seeds 1-2, separating easily from pulp.

            The fruits taste better the plantsare getting adequate sunlight.

Utilization:

The fruits are eaten fresh.  These are also made into juice, jam and jelly.  The fruit has great potential for the production of pulp and frozen ice cream.

A single fruit of pitangatuba

Cultivation:

Pitangatuba is a slow growing shrub.  It prefers well drained red or sandy soils that are rich in organic matter.  It is fairly cold hardy and can withstand frost upto -3 C.  This fruit should be planted in sunny locations only.

            Pitangatuba plants can be raised from seeds.  The seeds, which are large, take 60-120 days for germination.  The young plants should be kept in the nursery atleast for one year before shifting to their final location in the field.  A planting distance of 4X4 m is optimum for pitangatuba trees. The seedlings start bearing fruits two years after planting.

            The plants do not grow very vigorously and also do not require any special care.  The basins should be kept free of feed by occasional weeding.