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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Canary Island Date Palm, Phoenix canariensis is a species of flowering plant in the palm family Arecaceae, native to the Canary Islands. It is a relative of Phoenix dactylifera, the true date palm. It is the natural symbol of the Canary Islands, together with the canary Serinus canaria.[1]
Description
It is a large solitary palm, 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall, occasionally growing to 40 m (131 ft). The leaves are pinnate, 4–6 m (13–20 ft) long, with 80–100 leaflets on each side of the central rachis. The fruit is an oval, yellow to orange drupe 2 cm long and 1 cm in diameter and containing a single large seed; the fruit pulp is edible but too thin to be worth eating.
Names
The most used common name in English is Canary Island date palm. The common name in Spanish speaking countries and in the Canary Islands is palmera canaria. It is also widely known as the pineapple palm.
Cultivation
The Canary Island date palm is very widely planted as an ornamental plant in warm temperate regions of the world, particularly in areas with Mediterranean climates. It can be cultivated where temperatures rarely fall below 10 °C (50 °F).[2] It is a slowly growing tree, exclusively propagated by seed.
The palm is easily recognized through its crown of leaves and trunk characteristics. It is not uncommon to see Canary Island date palms pruned and trimmed to enhance the appearance.[3] When pruned, the bottom of the crown, also called the nut, appears to have a pineapple shape.
It has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit.[4]
Other uses
In the Canary Islands, the sap of this date palm is used to make palm syrup. La Gomera is where most of the sap is produced in the Canary Islands.
Invasiveness
In some mediterranean and subtropical countries, P. canariensis has proven to be an invasive plant. In New Zealand, it has invaded a range of habitats. New Zealand's Landcare Research has classified the palm as a 'sleeper weed' - "a plant that spreads slowly and goes unnoticed until it becomes widespread". In Auckland, New Zealand, the palm has itself become a host for the naturalised Australian strangler fig, Ficus macrophylla.
References
1. ^ Ley 7/1991, de 30 de abril, de símbolos de la naturaleza para las Islas Canarias - in spanish
2. ^ RHS A-Z encyclopedia of garden plants. United Kingdom: Dorling Kindersley. 2008. p. 1136. ISBN 1405332964.
3. ^
4. ^ "RHS Plant Selector - Phoenix canariensis". Retrieved 25 May 2013. [source - retrieved from on 6/6/2013]
Danger:
Plant has spines or sharp edges; use extreme caution when handling
Fruit:
Fleshy drupe, elliptical, 1/2 to 1 inch long, orange-brown to dark purple, date-like, occurs in up to 18 inch hanging clusters, may be produced in quantity, ripen in summer and are edible. [source - retrieved from on 6/6/2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Candle Stick Tree Parmentiera Cerifera
This is a most unusual tree grown in warm areas for it's striking, waxy skinned green-yellow fruit that is popular in parts of Mexico. Fruits grow to 12" long and hang in clusters, thus the name. A Medium sized tree that does well in pots when young.
Grows well in tropical regions but will survive frosts, best suited for zones 9-11 outside. The Candle Stick Tree is fairly adaptable to a range of soils and climate conditions. Fruits and seeds are edible. It is native to Central and South America. (source - retrieved from on 4/4/2013)
Scientific name
Parmentiera cereifera Seem.
Family name
Bignoniaceae
English name
candle tree
Habit
Tree to 7 m tall, DBH 20 ?.
Leaves/Fronds
Leaflets oblong, acuminate, 4-8 x 1.5-3.5 ?.
Flowers
Flowers cauliflorous, nocturnal, white, slightly fragrant; calyx spathaceous, 3 ?; corolla 5?6 ?.
Fruits & Seeds
Berry pale yellow, pendent, candle-like, smooth, 30-100 x 1.5-2.5.
Distribution
Native of Panama, cultivated for ornametal uses in many tropical countries
Uses
Fruit and seeds are edible, and used as fodder source.
Web reference
Reference
Van Steenis, C.G.G.J. 1977. Bignoniaceae. In Flora Malesiana ser. I, vol. 8(2): 114-186.
Madulid D. A. 2000. Pictorial cyclopedia of Philippine ornamental plant. Second edtion. Bookmark, Inc.:120.
(source - retrieved from on 4/4/2013)
The Candle tree is a relative of the Calabash tree. The tree produces thousands of 12-30 inch long, waxy skinned, green-yellow fruits resembling tapered candles. The Candle Tree is a relative of the sausage tree, and is native to Central America. The fruits and seeds of this tree are considered to be edible and are generally safe for human consumption. Interestingly, the flowers emerge directly on the bark of the tree. It is also grown as an ornamental for its flowers and unusual appearance when the fruits are ripening. (Source - retrieved from on 4/4/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Canistel, Pouteria Campechiana:
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)
The Canistel, Pouteria Campechiana, is a fruit native to Central America, Cuba, and south Florida. The fruit can be eaten at various stages, but is most favorable when fully ripe tasting somewhat like an excellent mango at this stage. At earlier stages it is rather dry of texture and not to the likening of many individuals. It is often called the egg fruit tree due to the shape of its fruit being that of a giant egg.
The height and bushiness of the tree is highly variable. I have seen both bush and tree forms including trees over 20 feet. Also, the fruit and leaves are highly variable, but there is as yet no recognized name variety, but the Hispanic community of south Florida is attempting to selectively breed this tree. I myself am a part of this experiment, but I have not been having much success.
When some one gets a good/better specimen as a result of a 'sport' of nature, a scion is taken from it and usually side-grafted onto a tree with less desirable fruit. Only about 1 graft in 5 actually takes so one usually side-grafts a number of scions on the tree if size permits. The Rare Fruit Council International is very active in this area, and of course I am a member.
This tree would NOT make a good indoor house plant for the north.
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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth. "Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Cape Gooseberry, physalis peruviana L., Physalis edulis Sims
The genus Physalis, of the family Solanaceae, includes annual and perennial herbs bearing globular fruits, each enclosed in a bladderlike husk which becomes papery on maturity. Of the more than 70 species, only a very few are of economic value. One is the strawberry tomato, husk tomato or ground cherry, P. Pruinosa L., grown for its small yellow fruits used for sauce, pies and preserves in mild-temperate climates. Though more popular with former generations than at present, it is still offered by seedsmen. Various species of Physalis have been subject to much confusion in literature and in the trade. A species which bears a superior fruit and has become widely known is the cape gooseberry, P. Peruviana L. (P. edulis Sims). It has many colloquial names in Latin America: capuli, aguaymanto, tomate sylvestre, or uchuba, in Peru; capuli or motojobobo embolsado in Bolivia; uvilla in Ecuador; uvilla, uchuva, vejigón or guchavo in Colombia; topotopo, or chuchuva in Venezuela; capuli, amor en bolsa, or bolsa de amor, in Chile; cereza del Peru in Mexico. It is called cape gooseberry, golden berry, pompelmoes or apelliefie in South Africa; alkekengi or coqueret in Gabon; lobolobohan in the Philippines; teparee, tiparee, makowi, etc., in India; cape gooseberry or poha in Hawaii.
Fig. 114: The golden cape gooseberry (Physalis peruviana) keeps well and makes excellent preserves. The canned fruits have been exported from South Africa and the jam from England.
Description.
This herbaceous or soft-wooded, perennial plant usually reaches 2 to 3 ft (1.6-0.9 m) in height but occasionally may attain 6 ft (1.8) m. It has ribbed, often purplish, spreading branches, and nearly opposite, velvety, heart-shaped, pointed, randomly-toothed leaves 2 3/8 to 6 in (6-15 cm) long and 1 1/2 to 4 in (4-10 cm) wide, and, in the leaf axils, bell-shaped, nodding flowers to 3/4 in (2 cm) wide, yellow with 5 dark purple-brown spots in the throat, and cupped by a purplish-green, hairy, 5-pointed calyx. After the flower falls, the calyx expands, ultimately forming a straw-colored husk much larger than the fruit it encloses. The berry is globose, 1/2 to 3/4 in (1.25-2 cm) wide, with smooth, glossy, orange-yellow skin and juicy pulp containing numerous very small yellowish seeds. When fully ripe, the fruit is sweet but with a pleasing grape-like tang. The husk is bitter and inedible.
Origin and Distribution
Reportedly native to Peru and Chile, where the fruits are casually eaten and occasionally sold in markets but the plant is still not an important crop, it has been widely introduced into cultivation in other tropical, subtropical and even temperate areas. It is said to succeed wherever tomatoes can be grown. The plant was grown by early settlers at the Cape of Good Hope before 1807. In South Africa it is commercially cultivated and common as an escape and the jam and canned whole fruits are staple commodities, often exported. It is cultivated and naturalized on a small scale in Gabon and other parts of Central Africa.
The cape gooseberry is a useful small fruit crop for the home garden; is labor-intensive in commercial plantings.
Soon after its adoption in the Cape of Good Hope it was carried to Australia and there acquired its common English name. It was one of the few fresh fruits of the early settlers in New South Wales. There it has long been grown on a large scale and is abundantly naturalized, as it is also in Queensland, Victoria, South Australia, Western Australia and Northern Tasmania. It was welcomed in New Zealand where it is said that "the housewife is sometimes embarrassed by the quantity of berries [cape gooseberries] in the garden," and government agencies actively promote increased culinary use.
In China, India and Malaya, the cape gooseberry is commonly grown but on a lesser scale. In India, it is often interplanted with vegetables. It is naturalized on the island of Luzon in the Philippines. Seeds were taken to Hawaii before 1825 and the plant is naturalized on all the islands at medium and somewhat higher elevations. It was at one time extensively cultivated in Hawaii. By 1966, commercial culture had nearly disappeared and processors had to buy the fruit from backyard growers at high prices. It is widespread as an exotic weed in the South Sea Islands but not seriously cultivated. The first seeds were planted in Israel in 1933. The plants grew and bore very well in cultivation and soon spread as escapes, but the fruit did not appeal to consumers, either fresh or preserved, and promotional efforts ceased.
In England, the cape gooseberry was first reported in 1774. Since that time, it has been grown there in a small way in home gardens, and after World War II was canned commercially to a limited extent. Despite this background, early in 1952, the Stanford Nursery, of Sussex, announced the "Cape Gooseberry, the wonderful new fruit, especially developed in Britain by Richard I. Cahn." Concurrently, jars of cape goosebery jam from England appeared in South Florida markets and the product was found to be attractive and delicious. It is surprising that this useful little fruit has received so little attention in the United States in view of its having been reported on with enthusiasm by the late Dr. David Fairchild in his well-loved book, The World Was My Garden. He there tells of its fruiting "enormously" in the garden of his home, "In The Woods", in Maryland, and of the cook's putting up over a hundred jars of what he called "Inca Conserve" which "met with universal favor." It is also remarkable that it is so little known in the Caribbean islands, though naturalized plants were growing profusely along roadsides in the Blue Mountains of Jamaica before 1913.
With a view to encouraging cape gooseberry culture in Florida, the Bahamas, and the West Indies, seeds have been repeatedly purchased from the Stanford Nursery and distributed for trial. Good crops have been obtained. Nevertheless there was no incentive to make further plantings.
Pollination
In England, growers shake the flowers gently in summer to improve distribution of the pollen, or they will give the plants a very light spraying with water.
Climate
The cape gooseberry is an annual in temperate regions and a perennial in the tropics. In Venezuela, it grows wild in the Andes and the coastal range between 2,500 and 10,000 ft (800-3,000 m). It grows wild in Hawaii at 1,000 to 8,000 ft (300-2,400 m). In northern India, it is not possible to cultivate it above 4,000 ft (1,200 m), but in South India it thrives up to 6,000 ft (1,800 m).
In England, the plants have been undamaged by 3 degrees of frost. In South Africa, plants have been killed to the ground and failed to recover after a temperature drop to 30.5º F (-0.75º C).
The plant needs full sun but protection from strong winds; plenty of rain throughout its growing season, very little when the fruits are maturing.
Soil
The cape gooseberry will grow in any well-drained soil but does best on sandy to gravelly loam. On highly fertile alluvial soil, there is much vegetative growth and the fruits fail to color properly. Very good crops are obtained on rather poor sandy ground. Where drainage is a problem, the plantings should be on gentle slopes or the rows should be mounded. The plants become dormant in drought.
Propagation
The plant is widely grown from seed. There are 5,000 to 8,000 seeds to the ounce (28 g) and, since germination rate is low, this amount is needed to raise enough plants for an acre–2 1/2 oz (70 g) for a hectare. In India, the seeds are mixed with wood ash or pulverized soil for uniform sowing.
Sometimes propagation is done by means of 1-year-old stem cuttings treated with hormones to promote rooting, and 37.7% success has been achieved. The plants thus grown flower early and yield well but are less vigorous than seedlings. Air-layering is also successful but not often practiced.
Culture
It is necessary to determine the time of planting for each area. In India, seeds are broadcast from March through May. In Hong Kong, planting in seedbeds is done in September/October and again in March/April. In the Bahamas the first seeds planted in late summer of 1952 produced healthy plants and a continuous crop of fruits for 3 months during the following winter. Additional seeds procured from England were planted in April of 1953. The plants started to blossom in mid-July and from September on continued to flower and set fruit, although no fruits remained on the plants to maturity until the cooler months of winter when a good yield was obtained. Seeds were again planted the following November. Thirteen weeks later, the first fruits were ripening, and by mid-May of the following year a heavy crop was harvested. In late June, the plants were still growing and flowering profusely but only a few fruits were being set and these failed to develop to maturity. This condition continued into September, by which time some of the more robust plants had reached 6 ft (1.8 in) in height with much lateral growth.
In Jamaica, the initial planting of cape gooseberries in late January of 1954 made slow growth until June when development accelerated. By mid-August the plants had reached 15 in (37.5 cm) in height with much lateral growth, and were flowering and setting fruit. It would appear that the heat of summer is unfavorable for fruit development and, therefore, the best time to plant the cape gooseberry is in the fall so that fruit can be set during the cooler weather and harvested in late spring or early summer. In California, the plants do not fruit heavily until the second year unless started early in greenhouses.
Some growers have kept plants in production for as long as 4 years by cutting back after each harvest, but these plants have been found more susceptible to pests and diseases.
In India, plants 6 to 8 in (15-20 cm) high are set out 18 in (45 cm) apart in rows 3 ft (0.9 m) apart. Farmers in South Africa space the plants 2 to 3 ft (0.6-0.9 m) apart in rows 4 to 6 ft (1.2-1.8 m) or even 8 ft (2.4 m) apart in very rich soil. They apply 200 to 400 lbs (90-180 kg) of complete fertilizer per acre (approx. = kg/ha) on sandy loam. Foliar spraying of 1% potassium chloride solution before and just after blooming enhances fruit quality.
In dry seasons, irrigation is necessary to keep the cape gooseberry plant in production.
Season
In parts of India, the fruits ripen in February, but, in the South, the main crop extends from January to May. In Central and southern Africa, the crop extends from the beginning of April to the end of June. In England, plants from seeds sown in spring begin to fruit in August and continue until there is a strong frost.
Harvesting and Yield
In rainy or dewy weather, the fruit is not picked until the plants are dry. Berries that are already wet need to be lightly dried in the sun. The fruits are usually picked from the plants by hand every 2 to 3 weeks, although some growers prefer to shake the plants and gather the fallen fruits from the ground in order to obtain those of more uniform maturity. At the peak of the season, a worker can pick 2 1/2 bushels (90 liters) a day, but at the beginning and end of the season, when the crop is light, only 1/2 bushel (18 liters).
A single plant may yield 300 fruits. Seedlings set 1,800 to 2,150 to the acre (228-900/ha) yield approximately 3,000 lbs of fruit per acre (approx. = kg/ha). The fruits are usually dehusked before delivery to markets or processors. Manual workers can produce only 10 to 12 lbs. (4.5-5.5 kg) of husked fruits per hour. Therefore, a mechanical husker, 4 to 5 times more efficient, has been designed at the University of Hawaii.
Keeping Quality
Cape gooseberries are long-lasting. The fresh fruits can be stored in a scaled container and kept in a dry atmosphere for several months. They will still be in good condition. If the fresh fruits are to be shipped, it is best to leave the husk on for protection.
Pests and Diseases
In South Africa, the most important of the many insect pests that attack the cape gooseberry are cutworms, in seedbeds; red spider after plants have been established in the field; the potato tuber moth if the cape gooseberry is in the vicinity of potato fields. Hares damage young plants and birds (francolins) devour the fruits if not repelled. In India, mites may cause defoliation. In Jamaica, the leaves were suddenly riddled by what were apparently flea beetles of the family Chrysomelidae. In the Bahamas, whitefly attacks on the very young plants and flea beetles on the flowering plants required control.
In South Africa, the most troublesome diseases are powdery mildew and soft brown scale. The plants are prone to root rots and viruses if on poorly-drained soil or if carried over to a second year. Therefore, farmers favor biennial plantings. Bacterial leaf spot (Xanthomonas spp.) occurs in Queensland. A strain of tobacco mosaic may affect plants in India.
Food Uses
In addition to being canned whole and preserved as jam, the cape gooseberry is made into sauce, used in pies, puddings, chutneys and ice cream, and eaten fresh in fruit salads and fruit cocktails. In Colombia, the fruits are stewed with honey and eaten as dessert. The British use the husk as a handle for dipping the fruit in icing.
Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion*
Moisture
78.9 g
Protein
0.054 g
Fat
0.16 g
Fiber
4.9 g
Ash
1.01 g
Calcium
8.0 mg
Phosphorus
55.3 mg
Iron
1.23 mg
Carotene
1.613 mg
Thiamine
0.101 mg
Riboflavin
0.032 mg
Niacin
1.73 mg
Ascorbic Acid
43.0 mg
*According to analyses of husked fruits made in Ecuador.
The ripe fruits are considered a good source of Vitamin P and are rich in pectin.
Toxicity
Unripe fruits are poisonous. The plant is believed to have caused illness and death in cattle in Australia.
Other Uses
Fruits: In the 18th Century, the fruits were perfumed and worn for adornment by native women in Peru.
Medicinal Uses: In Colombia, the leaf decoction is taken as a diuretic and antiasthmatic. In South Africa, the heated leaves are applied as poultices on inflammations and the Zulus administer the leaf infusion as an enema to relieve abdominal ailments in children.
Indian chemists have isolated from the leaves a minor steroidal constituent, physalolactone C. (source - retrieved from on 3/25/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
To view pictures of the plant and the fruit, go to,
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Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, and copoasu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the jungles of Colombia, Bolivia and Peru and in the north of Brazil, with the largest production in Pará, followed by Amazonas, Rondônia and Acre.
Cupuaçu trees usually range from 5 to 15 meters (16 to 50 feet) in height, though some can reach 20 meters (65 feet). They have brown bark. Their leaves are 25–35 cm (10–14 in) long and 6–10 cm (2–4 in) across, with 9 or 10 pairs of veins. As they mature, their leaves change from pink-tinted to green, and eventually they begin bearing fruit. Cupuaçu fruits are oblong, brown, and fuzzy, 20 cm (8 in) long, 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in weight, and covered with a thick (4–7 mm), hard exocarp.
The white pulp of the cupuaçu is uniquely fragrant (described as a mix of chocolate and pineapple), and It is frequently used in desserts, juices and sweets. The juice tastes primarily like a pear, with a hint of banana. Cupuaçu is touted as a possible superfruit flavor[1] Commercial production of cupuaçu includes food supplements, pills, drinks, smoothies and sweets. The pulp is also used in cosmetics products such as body lotions, as it is highly hydrating, similarly to cocoa butter.
Phytochemicals
Its flavors derive from its phytochemicals, such as tannins, the sulphated flavone glycosides theograndins I and II, and other flavonoids, including catechins, quercetin, kaempferol and isoscutellarein.[2]
It also contains the alkaloid theacrine instead of the xanthines (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) found in cacao.[3]
Wood products
The wood is also commonly used for timber.
Ecology
Cupuaçu supports a phylogenetically intriguing butterfly herbivore the lagarta verde, Macrosoma tipulata (Hedylidae), which can be a serious defoliator.[4]
References
1. ^ Cupuaçu as next big superfruit flavor, foodnavigator-usa.com
2. ^ Yang, H.; Protiva, P.; Cui, B.; Ma, C.; Baggett, S.; Hequet, V.; Mori, S.; Weinstein, I. B.; Kennelly, E. J. (2003). "New bioactive polyphenols from Theobroma grandiflorum ("cupuaçu")". Journal of Natural Products 66 (11): 1501–1504. doi:10.1021/np034002j. PMID 14640528.
3. ^ Vasconcelos, M. N. L.; da Silva, M. L.; Maia, J. G. S.; Gottlieb, O. R. (1975). "Estudo químico de sementes do cupuaçu". Acta Amazônica (in Portuguese) (National Institute of Amazonian Research) 5 (3): 293–295.
4. ^ Lourido, G.; Silva, N. M.; Motta, C. (2007). "Parâmetros Biológicos e Injúrias de Macrosoma tipulata Hübner (Lepidoptera: Hedylidae), em Cupuaçuzeiro [Theobroma grandiflorum (Wild ex Spreng Schum)] no Amazonas" [Biological parameters and damage by Macrosoma tipulata Hübner (Lepidoptera: Hedylidae), in Cupuaçu tree [Theobroma grandiflorum (Wild ex Spreng Schum)] in Amazonas, Brazil] (pdf). Neotropical Entomology (in Portuguese) 36 (1): 102–106. doi:10.1590/S1519-566X2007000100012. PMID 17420867. [source - retrieved from on 6/14/2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
For picture of plant and more details, go to,
Now to know the truth, go to:
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2)
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5)
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7)
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the CARAMBOLA, Averrhoa Carambola:
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)
This is an interesting fruit as its fruit is star shapped. Some Carambolas are quite sweet and almost like candy to the taste and others are quite sour. The ones you are likely to find in the store are rather tart as the real sweet type I so much enjoy do NOT ship well.
The leaves of this tree are compound and sensitive to both light and to touch; they will fold-up when they are touched or shaded. The fruit is golden yellow when ripe, translucent, ribbed and star-shaped in cross-section.
There are many named varieties, over 40, of both sweet and sour types. The only three varieties , that in my opinion are truly sweet are the Cary, the Orkin, and the Sherimberka (probably spelt wrong). I am growing the Cary and the Sherimberka, but the Cary has done the best for me. It is very prolific with respect fruit production and its fruit are just wonderful in flavor.
It can either be eaten fresh, made into pulp and frozen, made into jellies and jams, and into juices. The juice is a drink very rich in vitamin C and of excellent flavor if made from sweet carambolas or if the sour one's juice is mixed with either orange juice or pineapple juice. Also, a candy is made from this fruit. This fruit is one of my favorites.
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
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Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Carissa is a genus of about 20-30 species of shrubs or small trees native to tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, Australia and Asia. Conkerberry (C. spinarum) flowers in Shamirpet, Rangareddy district, Andhra Pradesh, India.
The species have maximum heights between 2 and 10 m tall, with spiny branches. The leaves are waxy and oblong, 3–8 cm long, and thick and leathery. The flowers are produced throughout most of the year; they are 1–5 cm diameter, with a five-lobed white or pink corolla, solitary or borne in clusters; some have a fragrance reminiscent of Gardenia. This makes them popular garden plants. The fruit is a plum-shaped berry, red to dark purple-black in different species, 1.5–6 cm in length, and containing up to 16 flat brown seeds. The fruit are edible but tart, and taste like a giant cranberry, though some also taste overtones of strawberry or apple-like flavour, and rich in Vitamin C, calcium, magnesium and phosphorus. The fruit of C. macrocarpa is especially delicious and is used to make jelly. They are eagerly consumed by birds, which also distribute the seed. If eaten before fully ripe, a bitter, latex-like substance is released from the skin. Other than the fruit, the plant is poisonous. This can also come in forms of a lovely bush. Because of its abundance of sharp thorns, the plant is often used as a security hedge. Carissa species are grown from seed or cuttings and tolerate slight frost. [source - retrieved from on 1/02/2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
Two species of the notorious family Apocynaceae are noteworthy because of their edible fruits and innocuous milky latex. The more attractive of these is the carissa, Carissa macrocarpa A. DC. (syn. C. grandiflora A. DC.), also called Natal plum and amantungula.
Description
A vigorous, spreading, woody shrub with abundant white, gummy sap, the carissa may reach a height of 15 to 18 ft (4.5-5.5 m) and an equal breadth. The branches are armed with formidable stout, double-pronged thorns to 2 in (5 cm) long. The handsome, evergreen, opposite leaves are broad-ovate, 1 to 2 in (2.5-5 cm) long, dark-green, glossy, leathery. Sweetly fragrant, white, 5-lobed, tubular flowers to 2 in (5 cm) broad are borne singly or a few together at the tips of branchlets all year. Some plants bear flowers that are functionally male, larger than normal and with larger anthers, and stamens much longer than the style. Functionally female flowers have stamens the same length as the style and small anthers without pollen.
The round, oval or oblong fruit, to 2 1/2 in (6.25 cm) long and up to 1 1/2 in (4 cm) across, is green and rich in latex when unripe. As it ripens, the tender, smooth skin turns to a bright magenta-red coated with a thin, whitish bloom, and finally dark-crimson. The flesh is tender, very juicy, strawberry-colored and -flavored, with flecks of milky sap. Massed in the center are 6 to 16 small, thin, flat, brown seeds, not objectionable when eaten.
Origin and Distribution
The carissa is native to the coastal region of Natal, South Africa, and is cultivated far inland in the Transvaal. It was first introduced into the United States in 1886 by the horticulturist Theodore L. Meade. Then, in 1903, Dr. David Fairchild, heading the Office of Foreign Seed and Plant Introduction of the United States Department of Agriculture, brought in from the Botanical Garden at Durban, a large quantity of seeds. Several thousand seedlings were raised at the then Plant Introduction Garden at Miami and distributed for testing in Florida, the Gulf States and California, and much effort was devoted to following up on the fate of the plants in different climatic zones. The carissa was introduced into Hawaii in 1905 and over the next few years was extensively distributed throughout the islands. It was planted in the Bahamas in 1913. It first fruited in the Philippines in 1924; is grown to a limited extent in India and East Africa. It was widely planted in Israel, flourished and flowered freely but rarely set fruit. Elsewhere, it is valued mainly as a protective hedge and the fruit is a more-or-less-welcomed by-product.
Varieties
Horticulturists in South Africa, California and Florida have selected and named some types that tend to bear more reliably than others:
'Fancy', selected in California in the 1950's, was an erect form bearing an abundance of large fruits with few seeds.
'Torrey Pines' produces good crops of fruit and pollen.
'Gifford' is one of the best fruit bearers in Florida.
'Extra Sweet' was advertised in Florida in the early 1960's.
'Alles' ('Chesley') produces few fruits in California.
'Frank' is a light bearer though it has a good supply of pollen.
As space for massive barrier hedges has diminished and interest in the fruits declined, efforts have been directed to the development of dwarf, compact, less spiny types for landscape use. Some of the popular ornamental cultivars include: 'Bonsai', 'Boxwood Beauty', 'Dainty Princess', 'Grandiflora', 'Green Carpet', 'Horizontalis', 'Linkii', 'Low Boy', 'Minima', 'Nana', 'Nana Compacta', 'Prostrata' and 'Tuttlei'.
Pollination
In its homeland, the carissa is pollinated by small beetles and hawk-moths and other night-flying insects. Various degrees of unfruitfulness in America has been attributed to inadequate pollination. Some seedlings are light-croppers, but others never bear at all. It has been found that unproductive plants, apparently self-infertile, will bear fruits after cross-pollination by hand.
Climate
The carissa is subtropical to near-tropical, thriving throughout the state of Florida and enduring temperatures as low as 25º F (-3.89º C) when well-established. Young plants need protection when the temperature drops below 29º F (-1.67º C). Best growth is obtained in full sun.
Soil
The shrub thrives in dry, rocky terrain in Hawaii; in red clay or sandy loam in California, and in sandy or alkaline soils in Florida, though the latter may induce deficiencies in trace elements. The plant has moderate drought tolerance and high resistance to soil salinity and salt spray. It cannot stand water-logging.
Propagation
Seeds germinate in 2 weeks but the seedlings grow very slowly at first and are highly variable. Vegetative propagation is preferred and can be done easily by air-layering, ground-layering, or shield-budding. Cuttings root poorly unless the tip of a young branchlet is cut half-way through and left attached to the plant for 2 months. After removal and planting in sand, it will root in about 30 days. Grafting onto seedlings of the karanda (q.v.) has considerably increased fruit yield.
Culture
Seedlings may begin to produce fruit in 2 years; cuttings earlier. A standard, well-balanced fertilizer suffices except on limestone where trace elements must be added. Dwarf cultivars must be kept under control, otherwise they are apt to revert to the ordinary type. Vigorous shoots will develop and outgrow the compact form.
Season
While the carissa flowers and fruits all year, the peak period for blooming and fruiting is May through September. The 5-pointed calyx remains attached to the plant when the fruit is picked.
Pests and Diseases
Spider mites, thrips and whiteflies, and occasionally scale insects, attack young plants, especially in nurseries and in the shade.
A number of fungus diseases have been recorded in Florida; algal leaf spot and green scurf caused by Cephaleuros virescens; leaf spot from Alternaria sp., Botryosphaeria querquum, Fusarium sp., Gloeosporium sp., Phyllosticta sp. and Colletotrichum gloeosporioides which also is responsible for anthracnose; stem gall from Macrophoma sp., Nectria sp., Phoma sp., Phomopsis sp., and both galls and cankers from Sphaeropsis tumefaciens; dieback caused by Diplodia natalensis and Rhizoctonia solani; thread blight from Rhizoctonia ramicola; root rot resulting from infection by Phytophthora parasitica and Pythium sp.
Food Uses
The carissa must be fully ripe, dark-red and slightly soft to the touch to be eaten raw. It is enjoyed whole, without peeling or seeding, out-of-hand. Halved or quartered and seeded it is suitable for fruit salads, adding to gelatins and using as topping for cakes, puddings and ice cream. Carissas can be cooked to a sauce or used in pies and tarts. Stewing or boiling causes the latex to leave the fruit and adhere to the pot (which must not be aluminum), but this can be easily removed by rubbing with cooking oil.
Carissas are preserved whole by pricking, cooking briefly in a sugar sirup and sterilizing in jars. Peeled or unpeeled, they are made into jam, other preserves, sirup or sweet pickles. Jelly is made from slightly underripe fruits, or a combination of ripe and unripe to enhance the color.
Food Value
Analyses made in the Philippines show the following values: calories, 270/lb (594/kg); moisture, 78.45%; protein, 0.56%; fat, 1.03%; sugar, 12.00%; fiber, 0.91%; ash, 0.43%. Ascorbic acid content has been calculated as 10 mg/100 g in India. [source - retrieved from on 1/02/2013]
I have found this makes a great barrier hedge as few animals and/or humans will try to penetrate it owing to its long and sharp thorns.
How this tree and other plants absorb water from the ground. Plants have developed an effective system to absorb, translocate, store, and utilize water. Plants contain a vast network of conduits, which consists of xylem and phloem tissues. These conducting tissues start in the roots and continue up through the trunks of trees, into the branches and then into every leaf. Phloem tissue is made of living elongated cells that are connected to one another and responsible for translocating nutrients and sugars (carbohydrates), which are produced by leaves for energy and growth. The xylem is also composed of elongated cells but once the cells are formed, they die. The walls of the xylem cells still remain intact and serve as an excellent peipline to transport water from the roots to the leaves.
The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves through specialized openings called stomata. Heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate, setting this ‘water chain’ in motion. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure. Water is pulled into the leaf to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, occurs in the xylem of the leaf. Since the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots, this negative water pressure extends into the roots and results in water uptake from the soil. [adapted from: ]
Clearly this clever water transport system shows a superior intelligence of the Creator (YHWH).
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Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the Psidium. friedrichsthalianum Ndz., known variously in Latin America as cas or cas ácida (Costa Rica), guayaba ácida (Guatemala), guayaba agria (Colombia), guayaba de danto (Honduras), guayaba de agua (Panama), guayaba del Choco (Ecuador), guayaba montes (Mexico), guayaba (Nicaragua), and arrayan (El Salvador).
Description
An attractive, shapely tree, 20 to 35 ft (6-10 m) high, it has wiry, quadrangular, or 4-winged, branchlets which are dark reddish and minutely hairy. The trunk bark is red-brown with grayish patches. The evergreen leaves are 2 to 4 3/4 in (5-12 cm) long, 1 to 2 in (2.5-5 cm) wide, elliptic or oval, pointed, gland-dotted, thin; dark and smooth above, pale beneath. Flowers, usually borne singly, are fragrant, white, 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with 5 waxy petals and about 300 stamens up to 1/2 in (1.25 cm) long. The fruit is round or oval, 1 1/4 to 2 1/2 in (3-6 cm) long, with yellow skin and soft, white, very acid flesh, and a few flattened seeds 3/16 in (5 mm) long. There is no musky odor.
Distribution
This tree grows naturally in Colombia (especially in the Cauca and Magdalena valleys), throughout Central America and around Oaxaca in southern Mexico, usually bordering streams and in swampy woods along the coast and inland. It is commonly cultivated in home gardens in temperate highlands of Costa Rica, occasionally in El Salvador, Guatemala and northern Ecuador. It thrives in the Philippines at medium and low elevations. Introductions into California and Florida have not been very successful, the tree bearing poorly and eventually succumbing to cold spells.
Food Uses
Because of its acidity, the fruit is mostly used for ade, jelly and jam. It makes fine filling for pies. Early Spaniards complained that eating the raw fruits "set the teeth on edge".
Food Value
Analyses in Guatemala show: moisture, 83.15%; protein, 0.78-0.88%; carbohydrates, 5.75-6.75%; fat, 0.39-0.52%; fiber, 7.90%; ash, 0.80%. The fruit is rich in pectin even when fully ripe. [source - retrieved from on 1/02/2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
This moderate-growing, small tree from Central America grows well in protected areas but doesn't bear well. It bears large, white fragrant flowers and large round or oval, green-to-yellow fruit with a number of seeds and white, slightly acid but tasty flesh. It is eaten fresh, in ades or jellies. Propagated by seed or air layer. [source - retrieved from on 1/02/2013]
How this tree and other plants absorb water from the ground. Plants have developed an effective system to absorb, translocate, store, and utilize water. Plants contain a vast network of conduits, which consists of xylem and phloem tissues. These conducting tissues start in the roots and continue up through the trunks of trees, into the branches and then into every leaf. Phloem tissue is made of living elongated cells that are connected to one another and responsible for translocating nutrients and sugars (carbohydrates), which are produced by leaves for energy and growth. The xylem is also composed of elongated cells but once the cells are formed, they die. The walls of the xylem cells still remain intact and serve as an excellent peipline to transport water from the roots to the leaves.
The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves through specialized openings called stomata. Heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate, setting this ‘water chain’ in motion. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure. Water is pulled into the leaf to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, occurs in the xylem of the leaf. Since the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots, this negative water pressure extends into the roots and results in water uptake from the soil. [adapted from: ]
Clearly this clever water transport system shows a superior intelligence of the Creator (YHWH).
Now to know the truth, go to:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the cashew (k?sh`, k?sh`), tropical American tree (Anacardium occidentale) of the family Anacardiaceae (sumac sumach, common name for some members of the Anacardiaceae, a family of trees and shrubs native chiefly to the tropics but ranging into north temperate regions and characterized by resinous and often acrid, sap. family), valued chiefly for the cashew nut of commerce. The tree's acrid sap is used in making a varnish that protects woodwork and books from insects. The fruit is kidney-shaped, about an inch in length, and has a double shell. The kernel, which is sweet, oily, and nutritious, is much used for food in the tropics after being roasted to destroy the caustic juice. It yields a light-colored oil said to be the equal of olive oil and is utilized in various culinary ways. In the West Indies it is used to flavor wine, particularly Madeira, and is imported into Great Britain for this purpose. The nut grows on the end of a fleshy, pear-shaped stalk, called the cashew apple, which is white, yellow, or red, juicy and slightly acid, and is eaten or fermented to make wine. Cashews are classified in the division Magnoliophyta, class Magnoliopsida, order Sapindales, family Anacardiaceae. [adopted from on 1/03/213].
cashew
Cashew apples (hypocarp) and nuts of the domesticated cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale).
(credit: W.H. Hodge)
Edible seed or nut of Anacardium occidentale, a tropical and subtropical evergreen shrub or tree in the sumac family, native to tropical Central and South America. Important chiefly for its nuts, the tree also produces wood used for shipping crates, boats, and charcoal, and a gum similar to gum arabic. Related to poison ivy and poison sumac, it must be handled with care. The two-shelled nut is shaped like a large, thick bean. A brown oil between the two shells blisters human skin and is used as a lubricant and an insecticide and in the production of plastics. The nut is rich and distinctively flavoured. [source - retrieved from on 1/03/2013]
HABITANT AND GROWTH
The tree is small and evergreen, growing to 10-12m (~32 ft) tall, with a short, often irregularly shaped trunk. The leaves are spirally arranged, leathery textured, elliptic to obovate, 4 to 22 cm long and 2 to 15 cm broad, with a smooth margin. The flowers are produced in a panicle or corymb up to 26 cm long, each flower small, pale green at first then turning reddish, with five slender, acute petals 7 to 15 mm long. The largest cashew tree in the world covers an area of about 7,500 square metres (81,000 sq ft).
The fruit of the cashew tree is an accessory fruit (sometimes called a pseudocarp or false fruit). What appears to be the fruit is an oval or pear-shaped structure, a hypocarpium, that develops from the pedicel and the receptacle of the cashew flower. Called the cashew apple, better known in Central America as "marañón", it ripens into a yellow and/or red structure about 5–11 cm long. It is edible, and has a strong "sweet" smell and a sweet taste. The pulp of the cashew apple is very juicy, but the skin is fragile, making it unsuitable for transport. In Latin America, a fruit drink is made from the cashew apple pulp which has a very refreshing taste and tropical flavor that can be described as having notes of mango, raw green pepper, and just a little hint of grapefruit-like citrus.
The true fruit of the cashew tree is a kidney or boxing-glove shaped drupe that grows at the end of the cashew apple. The drupe develops first on the tree, and then the pedicel expands to become the cashew apple. Within the true fruit is a single seed, the cashew nut. Although a nut in the culinary sense, in the botanical sense the nut of the cashew is a seed. The seed is surrounded by a double shell containing an allergenic phenolic resin, anacardic acid, a potent skin irritant chemically related to the better-known allergenic oil urushiol which is also a toxin found in the related poison ivy. Properly roasting cashews destroys the toxin, but it must be done outdoors as the smoke (not unlike that from burning poison ivy) contains urushiol droplets which can cause severe, sometimes life-threatening, reactions by irritating the lungs. People who are allergic to cashew urushiols may also react to mango or pistachio which are also in the Anacardiaceae family. Some people are allergic to cashew nuts, but cashews are a less frequent allergen than nuts or peanuts.
Dispersal
While native to Northeast Brazil, the Portuguese took the cashew plant to Goa, India, between the years of 1560 and 1565. From there it spread throughout Southeast Asia and eventually Africa. It is now grown extensively in south Florida up to the Martin County line. [adapted from on 1/03/2013]
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
REPRODUCTION
Cashew trees reproduce sexually with seeds. The cashew flowers are pollinated by bats and many kinds of insects, but they are also capable of self-pollination because they have some monoecious flowers. After pollination, the drupe requires 6 to 8 weeks to mature, with the pseudofruit developing in the last two weeks of the ripening process. The cashew kernel, found inside the shell of the drupe, is the seed of the plant. When the drupe and pseudofruit are ripe, they fall off the tree together. If it lands in moist soil, the seed can germinate within 4 days of falling.
Commercial growers usually raise their cashew crops from seeds. They soak the seeds in water to aid germination and plant them either in a pit at their permanent location or in a planting bag to be transplanted once they have grown large enough. Two to four seeds are planted in each hole, and a month is allowed for germination and growth. The weaker seedlings are then removed, leaving only the strongest one to mature. Seedlings grown in planting bags are transplanted after two months to their permanent location, but this must be done carefully because their roots are very sensitive. Since the cashew tree does not do well when transplanted, it is usually recommended that the trees be planted in their permanent locations, spaced 10 to 12 meters apart to allow them to fully mature. For the first 3 years, the seedlings should be supported against wind, provided with adequate shade, and regularly watered to hasten growth. During this time, intercropping is often practiced with fast-growing crops such as legumes, vegetables, tobacco, chilies, cotton, or peanuts. This allows productive use of the fields until the trees begin to bear fruit in their third year. The trees reach their maximum productivity after 10 years and continue producing fruit for the next 20 years or more. A single tree can produce 200 to 300 fruits in one year.
Cashews can also reproduce asexually through vegetative propagation. If a seedling with desirable traits, such as a high percentage of monoecious flowers (allows greater self-pollination), large fruit size, resistance to pests and disease, etc., is found, vegetative propagation allows growers to produce genetic copies of the tree, ensuring that the new trees will carry on the same traits. Many methods of vegetative reproduction are successful with cashews, including side grafting, wedge grafting, softwood grafting, air and ground layering, chip-budding, top-working, and cutting. As various methods of grafting are further tested and developed, they may become more widely used by farmers and cultivators due to the benefits of being able to select plants with desirable traits as opposed to growing them from seed, which usually results in a wide variety of offspring often unlike their parent plants.
Cashew trees require little attention after their first three years. If left alone, they will grow well and continue to produce fruit. Commercial growers may prune the trees, but pruning is usually limited to clearing away the shoots and lowest branches to make harvesting easier. The fields are weeded to protect the trees, especially around the bases of young trees. Fertilizer and manure are both beneficial to cashew trees. Fertilizers should contain nitrogen and phosphate, as well as zinc if the soil is deficient. Mulching helps retain moisture in the soil and prevents weed growth near the
Cashews are native to Brazil and were spread to India by the Portuguese in the 1500s. Since then, cashews have been introduced to East Africa, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. The main cultivators of cashews are Vietnam, Nigeria, India, Brazil, and Indonesia. The primary importer of cashews is the United States [46]. Japan, Australia, Canada, Hong Kong, Singapore, and many Middle Eastern countries also purchase large quantities of cashews.
The cashew is a tropical or sub-tropical plant that grows between latitudes of 25 degrees north and south. They are most often found growing in coastal areas. They do best in warm, humid weather, and the optimum temperature is 25 degrees Celsius (77 degrees Fahrenheit). The plants are very susceptible to frost, and temperatures should not fall below 10 degrees Celsius (50 degrees Fahrenheit). However, cashews are drought tolerant because of their extensive root systems. The best range for rainfall is between 1500 to 2000 mm per year. It is also important that they go through a dry season to stimulate flower growth and fruit production .
Cashew trees grow in many kinds of soil, even those soil types that would be intolerable to other plants. They prefer deep, well-drained soil that is sandy or loamy and has a pH of 4.5 to 6.5. They cannot grow in very hard clay, rocky soil, or soil with excess undrained water because it will damage the roots and cause them to rot.
Cashews are pollinated mostly by insects. Wild birds, bats, and other animals eat the cashew apples and aid in dispersal. Since the shell of the drupe is so toxic, causing severe burns to those who try to consume it, most animals eat the apple and throw away the drupe, which allows it to germinate, often in a new location. Humans also consume cashews, either raw or as part of other dishes.
Common pests that afflict the cashew tree include the tea mosquito, the stem and root borer, the leaf and blossom webber, the leaf minor, the shoot and inflorescence tip borer, and the apple and nut borer, as well as several species of thrips (small insects that afflict fruit trees and other plants). These pests can cause severe damage to the trees, especially young ones, by destroying new growth and burrowing inside the trunk, leaves, and fruit. Most pests can be killed using chemical sprays and insecticides.
Harvesting and Uses
Once the nuts are ripe they naturally fall from the tree. Workers harvest them off the ground, usually going through the fields every day to pick up the apples before they spoil . The apples and drupes are separated and processed. Before the cashew kernels can be eaten, they must be removed from their shells without being contaminated by the caustic oil. The removal from the shell is a long process with many steps. First, the drupes are dried for 1 to 3 days, which allows them to be stored until there are enough nuts to roast. Immediately before roasting, the drupes are soaked in water to prevent the kernels from breaking while being processed. The cashews are usually roasted in pans or other devices with holes in them, allowing the oil to be collected as it drains through the holes. Once roasted, the cashews are covered in sand or sawdust to remove any oil remaining on the shells.
Next, the shelling process begins. Cashews are usually shelled manually because of the difficulty in designing machines able to crack open the irregularly-shaped shell without breaking the kernel. While machines are sometimes used, the workers usually break open the shells using wooden hammers. The cashews kernels are separated from the shells and placed on racks in an oven to dry. This causes the testa (seed coat) to become brittle so it can easily be removed by hand. Last, broken and unevenly roasted kernels are sorted out and the good-quality kernels are vacuum-packed for shipping, allowing them to be stored for up to a year.
(Important Note: When roasting, sorting, and processing cashews, gloves and long clothes should be worn to protect any exposed skin from coming in contact with the oil. Cashew nutshell oil squirts from the nuts during roasting and may remain on the shells afterwards. The oil is toxic and will cause severe burns and itching if it gets on the skin.)
Although the kernels are the main product of cashew trees, many other parts of the tree are utilized as well. The cashew apples, though not exported, are often eaten in countries where the trees are grown. Cashew apples can be eaten raw and are also made into jellies, juices, and syrups. They may be dried, candied, preserved in syrup, or fermented and used to make alcoholic beverages such as brandy, gin, and a wine called Feni that is sold in India. Both the cashew kernels and cashew apples have many health benefits. The kernels are low in fat compared to some other nuts such as walnuts or peanuts, and they have plenty of healthy fatty acids, B vitamins, protein, potassium, zinc, iron, and fiber. They are also delicious and may be eaten by themselves or used in cooking. They are frequently used in candy and in Thai, Chinese, and Indian foods. The cashew apple is high in vitamin C, with even more than is found in oranges, and is also full of vitamins and minerals. Aside from food, the apples are also used in body care products such as anti-aging cremes, lotions, and shampoos .
Other products of the cashew tree are taken from the leaves, wood, bark, and shell. The toxic oil from the shell (cashew nutshell liquid) is collected during the roasting process. It is used to manufacture brake linings, insect repellents, resins, varnishes, and paints. The wood is used to make furniture and packing crates, and the gum is made into glue. The testa is used in animal feed . The leaves, bark, and kernels may be ground up and used in medicine and insect repellent, and the bark and testa both contain tannins and are used to tan leather. An edible cashew oil is produced from the kernels. This is not the same as cashew nutshell oil; it used in cooking and is similar to olive oil.
Parts of the cashew tree are also believed to have medicinal properties. The leaves and bark are made into tea and used to treat diarrhea, dysentery, and colic and to stop bleeding. Various parts of the cashew plant are also used for diabetes, influenza, ulcers, skin disorders, bronchitis, tonsillitis, and other throat problems, and as an antibacterial agent. [source - retrieved from on 1/03/2013]
Bottom of Form
How this tree and other plants absorb water from the ground. Plants have developed an effective system to absorb, translocate, store, and utilize water. Plants contain a vast network of conduits, which consists of xylem and phloem tissues. These conducting tissues start in the roots and continue up through the trunks of trees, into the branches and then into every leaf. Phloem tissue is made of living elongated cells that are connected to one another and responsible for translocating nutrients and sugars (carbohydrates), which are produced by leaves for energy and growth. The xylem is also composed of elongated cells but once the cells are formed, they die. The walls of the xylem cells still remain intact and serve as an excellent peipline to transport water from the roots to the leaves.
The main driving force of water uptake and transport into a plant is transpiration of water from leaves through specialized openings called stomata. Heat from the sun causes the water to evaporate, setting this ‘water chain’ in motion. The evaporation creates a negative water vapor pressure. Water is pulled into the leaf to replace the water that has transpired from the leaf. This pulling of water, or tension, occurs in the xylem of the leaf. Since the xylem is a continuous water column that extends from the leaf to the roots, this negative water pressure extends into the roots and results in water uptake from the soil. [adapted from: ]
Clearly this clever water transport system shows a superior intelligence of the Creator (YHWH).
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Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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Re: Almighty God’s (YHWH) Great Gift to Mankind, The Rare Fruit Trees
Hi Everyone:
Here is a Commentary on Bountiful Trees and Vegetables God (YHWH) has provided for mankind, specifically the cassabanana, Sicana odorifera Naud. (syn. Cucurbita odorifera Vell.), is also called sikana or musk cucumber. It is known as melocotonero, calabaza de olor, calabaza melón, pérsico or alberchigo in Mexico; melocotón or melón de olor in El Salvador and Guatemala; calabaza de chila in Costa Rica; cojombro in Nicaragua; chila in Panama; pavi in Bolivia; padea, olerero, secana or upe in Peru; calabaza de Paraguay, curuba, or pepino melocoton in Colombia; cura, coróa, curua, curuba, cruatina, melão caboclo or melão macã in Brazil; cajú cajuba, cajua, cagua, calabaza de Guinea in Venezuela; pepino, pepino angolo or pepino socato in Puerto Rico; cohombro in Cuba.
The vine is perennial, herbaceous, fast-growing, heavy, requiring a strong trellis; climbing trees to 50 ft (15 m) or more by means of 4-parted tendrils equipped with adhesive discs that can adhere tightly to the smoothest surface. Young stems are hairy. The leaves are gray-hairy, rounded-cordate or rounded kidney-shaped, to 1 ft (30 cm) wide, deeply indented at the base, 3-lobed, with wavy or toothed margins, on petioles 1 1/2 to 4 3/4 in (4-12 cm) long. Flowers are white or yellow, urn-shaped, 5-lobed, solitary, the male 3/4 in (2 cm) long, the female about 2 in (5 cm) long. Renowned for its strong, sweet, agreeable, melon-like odor, the striking fruit is ellipsoid or nearly cylindrical, sometimes slightly curved; 12 to 24 in (30-60 cm) in length, 2 3/4 to 4 1/2 in (7-11.25 cm) thick, hard-shelled, orange-red, maroon, dark-purple with tinges of violet, or entirely jet-black; smooth and glossy when ripe, with firm, orange-yellow or yellow, cantaloupe-like, tough, juicy flesh, 3/4 in (2 cm) thick. In the central cavity, there is softer pulp, a soft, fleshy core, and numerous flat, oval seeds, 5/8 in (16 mm) long and 1/4 in (6 mm) wide, light-brown bordered with a dark-brown stripe, in tightly-packed rows extending the entire length of the fruit.
Origin and Distribution
The cassabanana is believed native to Brazil but it has been spread throughout tropical America. Historians have evidence that it was cultivated in Ecuador in pre-Hispanic times. It was first mentioned by European writers in 1658 as cultivated and popular in Peru. It is grown near sea-level in Central America but the fruit is carried to markets even up in the highlands. Venezuelans and Brazilians are partial to the vine as an ornamental, but in Cuba, Puerto Rico and Mexico it is grown for the usefulness of the fruit.
In 1903, O.F. Cook saw one fruit in a market in Washington, D.C. The United States Department of Agriculture received seeds from C.A. Miller, the American Consul in Tampico, Mexico, in 1913 (S.P.I. #35136). H.M. Curran collected seeds in Brazil in 1915 (S.P.I. #41665). Wilson Popenoe introduced seeds from Guatemala in 1916 (S.P.I. #43427). The author brought seeds from Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico, to the Agricultural Research and Education Center, Homestead, in 1951. A resulting vine grew to large size but produced a single 2 ft (60 cm) fruit. Dr. John Thieret, formerly Professor of Botany at Southwestern Louisiana University, says that the Cajuns in the southern part of that state grow the cassabanana for making preserves. Verrill stated in 1937, "The fruit is now on sale in New York markets."
According to Burkill, the vine was tried in the Botanic Gardens in Singapore but lived for only a short time. Wester wrote that it fruited at Lamao in the Philippines in 1916 and became heavily attacked by a destructive fly (Dacus sp.).
Fenzi says that the cassabanana is grown from seeds or cuttings. A high temperature during the fruiting season is needed to assure perfect ripening. Brazilians train the vine to grow over arbors or they may plant it close to a tree. However, if it is allowed to climb too high up the tree there is the risk that it may smother and kill it.
Keeping Quality and Marketing
The cassabanana remains in good condition for several months if kept dry and out of the sun.
The fruit has high market value in Puerto Rico. It is cut up and sold by the piece, the price being determined by weight.
Food Uses
The ripe flesh, sliced thin, is eaten raw, especially in the summer when it is appreciated as cooling and refreshing. However, it is mainly used in the kitchen for making jam or other preserves. The immature fruit is cooked as a vegetable or in soup and stews.
Food Value Per 100 g of Edible Portion
Analyses of ripe fruit made in Guatemala (without peel, seeds, or soft central pulp)
Analyses of peeled green fruit made in Nicaragua (including seeds)
Moisture
85.1 g
92.7 g
Protein
0.145 g
0.093 g
Fat
0.02 g
0.21 g
Fiber
1.1 g
0.6 g
Ash
0.70 g
0.38 g
Calcium
21.1 mg
8.2 mg
Phosphorus
24.5 mg
24.2 mg
Iron
0.33 mg
0.87 mg
Carotene
0.11 mg
0.003 mg
Thiamine
0.058 mg
0.038 mg
Riboflavin
0.035 mg
Niacin
0.767 mg
0.647 mg
Ascorbic Acid
13.9 mg
10.0 mg
Other
Uses
Fruit: People like to keep the fruit around the house, and especially in linen- and clothes-closets, because of its long-lasting fragrance, and they believe that it repels moths. It is also placed on church altars during Holy Week.
Medicinal Uses: In Puerto Rico, the flesh is cut up and steeped in water, with added sugar, overnight at room temperature so that it will ferment slightly. The resultant liquor is sipped frequently and strips of the flesh are eaten, too, to relieve sore throat. It is believed beneficial also to, at the same time, wear a necklace of the seeds around the neck.
The seed infusion is taken in Brazil as a febrifuge, vermifuge, purgative and emmenagogue. The leaves are employed in treating uterine hemorrhages and venereal diseases. In Yucatan, a decoction of leaves and flowers (2 g in 180cc water) is prescribed as a laxative, emmenagogue and vermifuge, with a warning not to make a stronger preparation inasmuch as the seeds and flowers yield a certain amount of hydrocyanic acid. (source - retrieved from on 3/25/2013)
In Genesis 1:11-13, "And God said, Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit-trees bearing fruit after their kind, wherein is the seed thereof, upon the earth: and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, wherein is the seed thereof, after their kind: and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. (American Standard Version, ASV)[for more details, go to www.jw.org].
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Your Friend in Christ Iris89
Francis David said it long ago, "Neither the sword of popes...nor the image of death will halt the march of truth."Francis David, 1579, written on the wall of his prison cell." Read the book, "What Does The Bible Really Teach" and the Bible today, and go to www.jw.org!
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