|Botanical

Fruit From Here and There and Everywhere

Duke Morgan, Horticulturist, Waimea Valley

A fruit is tied to, but not exclusively, to flowering plants or angiosperms. It is known as a seed bearing structure formed from the ovary of the plant after flowering. It is a fleshy and sometimes flavorful or sweet outer layer (pericarp) of a seed. Hawaiʻi nei is located in the humid sub-tropics, which is essentially a fruit paradise! Not only in the sense of habitat for trees to thrive but also for humans to enjoy such an abundance of fruit diversity. Most food flavorings that we know today have a fruity ancestor, from brilliant reds and oranges to dark greens and black, fruit colors and flavors can seldom be rivaled.





In nature, fruits attract animals whose foraging activities disperse the seed or seeds within. A well-known example of this is a mango. A mango tree produces a large seed covered with a delicious outer layer. An animal eats the fruit removes the outer layer, and sets the seed (often times in a cool shady spot away from the mother tree) ready to sprout and grow!

Humans disperse fruit seeds on a massive scale. With human action, fruits and seeds are moved across continents and oceans. They can be cultivated far and wide outside of the fruit’s natural or native habitat. The story of John Chapman, more well-known as “Johnny Appleseed”, is a great example of animals spreading seeds and fruit far beyond the natural range of the tree. Unfortunately, native habitats may be ill-prepared for potential invasions. In our Hawaiian home, we have seen that guava, coffee, and others can hinder the growth of our native species and lead to environmental effects like erosion and the smothering of our reefs, and habitat loss for native insect species.

It may come as a surprise that in old Hawaiʻi large, fleshy, delicious fruits were nearly non-existent. With the exception of a few (somewhat bland) fruits such as Haha (Cyanea sp.), Mamaki (Pipturus sp.), ‘Akala (Rubus sp.), and ohelo (Vaccinium sp.). Kanaka maoli relied on few truly native fruit. Polynesian introductions included only a few staple fruit such as ‘ulu (breadfruit), niu (coconut), and ‘ohia’ai (mountain apple). The rest of the commonly-known fruits around Hawaiʻi are very recent, post-contact introductions.

With heavy reliance on Hawaiʻi as a trade route and key military location, newcomers to the islands brought many new introductions within the last two centuries. The tropical fruits that we are accustomed to now, share similar stories of arrival. You need to imagine that without the far reach of humans, these iconic fruits would not be found in the Hawaiian islands: mango, litchi, avocado, macadamia, soursop, jackfruit, citrus, papaya, tropical almond, tamarind, Surinam cherry, figs, pomegranates, java plum, wi, rose apple have now made Hawai’i their permanent residence. A few of these foreign fruit species have come to the islands and created entire industries around them (Mauna Loa Macadamia, Kona coffee, pineapple, the Hilo lychee).

Unfortunately, the age old lawn complex is still holding tightly to the common home owner, where the medieval use for lawns surrounding castles made sense to spot friend or foe, the modern day need for a lawn is purely aesthetic and only wastes water, adds to nitrification of our reefs, and hinders the minds ability to see and create abundance on a small amount of land. With true orchardists still holding on, there are many neat and unknown fruits in Hawaiʻi today it is hard to keep track. With things like champedak, miracle fruit, white sapote, Tahitian chestnut, marang, and dragon fruit, I urge you to go out into the nursery community and find some of these unique fruits to plant in and around your property.





Litchi chinensis (Lychee, litchi, lihzi) was imported from China in 1875 by a Honolulu merchant Mr. Ching-Chock. The tree was planted on the property of Mr. Chun Afong on the corner of Nuʻuanu and School Street. Happily growing in this location it was known locally as the “Afong tree”. Some years later it was thought to be the Chinese variety of lychee called ‘kwai mei’ but later identified as ‘Tai tso’. Many fruit trees come to the humid subtropics and thrive, others that are environmentally sensitive, such as lychee, have been improved with the hard work of horticulturist. Since the coming of the first lychee tree, we now have many “low chill” varieties which are much more suited for our local climate. Some of these improved Hawaiian varieties are ‘Groff’ and ‘Kaimana’ which are very sought after for their tolerance to no chill as well as harvest time. There is a similar story with most of the other fruit mentioned above. It is a true wonder that we have the ability to grow such abundance year around here in Hawaiʻi.

Everyone can agree that this lychee season and most other fruit seasons can be very abundant and even overwhelming. What is one to do with such an overabundance of fruit? Everyone loves the neighbor that gives us bags of fruit, but often times we are stuck not using the fruit that we have. There are many ways to utilize all of the fruit that is around. Depending on the fruit that you have, you may want to try freezing, dehydrating, making a puree, selling, or just going out of your way to give friends and family that perfect fruit!





Often times I hear wild tales of people trying to get their tree to fruit by means of abuse. I’ve heard of people beating their trees with pipes, girdling or hacking the trunk with a machete, and even damaging the trees roots. Although these old wives tales may work once, none of them are recommended and they are detrimental to the longevity of the tree. The best way to care for your tree is to learn its habits and behaviors and give it what it needs to thrive. Waimea Valley offers unique fruit trees, companion plants, orchard care tips, and would love to assist you with the proper care and information for your beautiful and bountiful trees.