WHERE DO OUR TROPICAL FRUITS COME FROM?

Before you begin to favour one region of the world over another as to which has produced the finest tropical fruits, think where do they come from? Be careful because tamarinds didn't originate in India, nor Normanton.

SOME IMPORTANT TROPICAL FRUITS AND THEIR ORIGINS

AMERICAN ORIGINASIATIC ORIGIN
x Carica papaya (Papaw)x Citrus sps.
x Passiflora sps. x Mangifera indica (mango)
x Persea americana (avocado) x Musa hybrids and sps. (banana)
x Ananas comosus (pineapple) x Litchi chinensis
x Psidium guajava (guava) y Euphoria longana (longan)
y Annonasps. (custard apples) y Nephelium lappaceum (rambutan)
y Anacardium occidentale (cashew) y Averrhoa carambola ( carambola)
y Manilkara zapote (sapodilla)y Artocarpus heterophyllus (jakfruit)
z Chrysophyllum cainito (star apple) z Garcinia mangostana (mangosteen)
+ Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil nut)+ Durio zibethinus (durian)
+ Pouteria sapota (mamey sapote) + Lansium domesticum (duku/langsat)
+ Mammea americana (mamey apple)+ Salacca edulis(salak)
OTHER ORIGINS 
x Macadamia spp. (Australia) 
y Tamarindus indica (Trop. Africa) 
Key 
x = already grown commercially in Australia 
y = grown commercially in regions other than origin.  
z = grown in large numbers in specific areas in regions other than origin.  
+ = fruits of outstanding qualities worthy of expanded commercialisation in areas other than regions of origin. 

Dr Robert Knight Jr., Horticulturist with the U.S.D.A. in a paper entitled 'Origin and World Importance of Tropical and Subtropical Fruit Crops', listed 21 sites of origin of fruit crops. Of these 21 fruit crops, 9 were of American origin, 7 of Asiatic origin, 2 of Mid-East origin, 1 of African, 1 of Australian, and 1 a hybrid developed in Puerto Rico of Asiatic parents.

SPECIESAREA OF ORIGIN
Malphigia glabraAmerican
Persea americana American
Musa hybrids and spp.Asian
Phoenix dactylifera Mediterranean
Durio zibethinusAsian
Ficus caricaMediterranean
Psidium guajava American
Eriobotrya japonica Asian
Litchi chinensisAsian
Macadamia spp. Australian
Mangifera indicaAsian
Garcinia mangostanaAsian
Carica papayaAmerican
Passiflora spp.American
Diospyros kakiAsian
Ananas comosusAmerican
Manilkara zapoteAmerican
Annona muricata American
Tamarindus indicaAfrican
Opuntiaspp.American
Citrus hybrid (Chironja)Asian parents/Puerto Rico hybrid
Alan W. Carle

DATE: September 1981

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