Surinam Cherry, Eugenia uiflora is a FISC Category 1 Invasive plant in Florida. The UF/IFAS Assessment lists it as invasive in south Florida and a species of caution in central and north Florida. Information on this plant is being provided for identification in the landscape to encourage removal and identification at nurseries to discourage purchase.
Introduction
Surinam cherry is an excellent shrub for screens or hedges, with smooth, shiny, aromatic leaves which are bright red when young. This lends a reddish cast to a clipped hedge during the growing season. The small, thin leaves allow the plant to be sheared easily, and it is often used as a hedge. The plant remains dense all the way to the ground if the top of the hedge is clipped so it stays slightly narrower than the bottom. The small, fragrant, white flowers are followed by one-inch diameter, tasty, ribbed, red berries which are unusually high in vitamin C.
Credit: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS
Credit: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS
Credit: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS
Credit: Ed Gilman, UF/IFAS
General Information
Scientific name: Eugenia uniflora
Pronunciation: yoo-JEE-nee-uh yoo-nif-FLOR-uh
Common name(s): Surinam cherry
Family: Myrtaceae
Plant type: tree
USDA hardiness zones: 9B through 11 (Figure 5)
Planting month for zone 9: year round
Planting month for zone 10 and 11: year round
Origin: native to South America
Invasive potential: Invasive and not recommended by UF/IFAS faculty (reassess in 10 years)
Uses: fruit; superior hedge; container or above-ground planter; trained as a standard; recommended for buffer strips around parking lots or for median strip plantings in the highway; border
Availability: generally available in many areas within its hardiness range
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Description
Height: 8 to 20 feet
Spread: 6 to 15 feet
Plant habit: oval
Plant density: dense
Growth rate: moderate
Texture: fine
Foliage
Leaf arrangement: opposite/subopposite
Leaf type: simple
Leaf margin: entire
Leaf shape: ovate
Leaf venation: pinnate
Leaf type and persistence: fragrant
Leaf blade length: less than 2 inches
Leaf color: purple or red
Fall color: no fall color change
Fall characteristic: not showy
Flower
Flower color: white
Flower characteristic: pleasant fragrance; spring flowering
Fruit
Fruit shape: round
Fruit length: less than .5 inch
Fruit cover: fleshy
Fruit color: orange
Fruit characteristic: suited for human consumption; attracts birds
Trunk and Branches
Trunk/bark/branches: no thorns; typically multi-trunked or clumping stems
Current year stem/twig color: reddish
Current year stem/twig thickness: thin
Culture
Light requirement: plant grows in part shade/part sun
Soil tolerances: alkaline; clay; sand; acidic; loam
Drought tolerance: moderate
Soil salt tolerances: poor
Plant spacing: 36 to 60 inches
Other
Roots: usually not a problem
Winter interest: no special winter interest
Outstanding plant: not particularly outstanding
Pest resistance: no serious pests are normally seen on the plant
Use and Management
Growing best in full sun and rapidly-draining soil, Surinam cherry has interesting tan-colored, thin, peeling bark and multiple stems, making it a good candidate for training into a small tree for use as a specimen tree. Unfortunately, it is seldom grown in this manner. The natural habit of the plant is an upright spreading form, similar to crape myrtle. Space from two to five feet apart to form a hedge or screen planting.
There are many Eugenia species with a range of mature heights and sizes.
Propagation is by seed or cuttings.
Pests and Diseases
Surinam cherry is bothered by scale and caterpillars.
No diseases are of major concern.