Names | ||||||||||||
Family |
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Botanical Name |
Synsepalum dulcificum | |||||||||||
Synonym(s) |
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English Name(s) |
Miracle Fruit, Miracle berry | |||||||||||
Chinese Name(s) |
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Description | ||||||||||||
Size & Growth Habit
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Miracle fruit grows as a shrub, or small tree. Cultivated plants tend to be kept as a bushy round plant up to 2 meters, for easy of harvesting. When left alone they could reach about 5 meters tall. | |||||||||||
Leaves
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Stems |
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Roots |
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Flowers
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Fruit/Seed Pods
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Seeds
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usually 1 seed per fruit, but 1-5 can happen. When more than one seed is produced per fruit, they tend to be divided up equally in pairs, trios etc. Seeds are black, shiny and smooth on one half, and on the other half, divided lengthwise, where they are connected to the fruit they are rough and have a split down the middle where the roots and sprout will emerge. The thin, but hard, seed coat is easily shed by the seedling when they sprout. When the seeds are dried, they will turn more dull, grey or brown in colour. The seed shell can die, but if the inside of the seed dries, the seed is dead. Storage in moist moss is generally no more than 6 months. | |||||||||||
Cultivars & Hybrids |
There is not a great deal of selective breeding being done. There are, however, some genetically modified plants (like lettuce and tomato) that have been made to produce the taste altering chemical that miracle fruit produces. Unfortunately, due to people not caring much about the sources of their products and the possible consequences with GMO products, these will probably overtake the commercial miracle fruit powder market very rapidly as Miracle fruit plants grow slowly and simply cannot compete with the quantity produced by the GM plants. | |||||||||||
Cultivation | ||||||||||||
By Seed
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Miracle fruit is often grown from seed. They always tend to produce adequate fruit no matter the genetics, and is more important to provide good conditions. For this reason, as well as small market, there is not much being done with selective breeding. Seeds cannot dry out, once they dry out, inside, the seed is dead. Seeds can be stored, in moist sphagnum moss is the best, for a maximum of about 6 months. When stored more than a month there is a good chance they are going to start to germinate. Cooler temperatures, around 10-15C will slow this process. Sow fresh seeds about 1-2cm deep in almost any type of seedling mix. We use 100% coco coir, though peat and potting soil work fine as well. Keep slightly moist at all times. Not wet, and not dry. It is important to keep them warm, over 20C. When kept at 25-35C all the time, sprouts can be seen in a month. When temps drop down below 20C, they can take up to 9 months to sprout. There is no part of this plant that is fast, patience is needed. Once the seedlings break the soil, wait until the leaves open and show green before giving a very weak feed. When actively growing, a bimonthly shot of fertilizer can be applied, or good compost added. Giving more fertilizer won’t speed things up a whole lot, they are a slow species. Provide slight shade in the beginning, they do better if not scorched by very intense sun. Tropical sun, due to water in the air, is not as intense as it is in the desert. In tropical areas, full sun is fine, in very intense UV areas, watch you plants for signs of too much light on the leaves. | |||||||||||
By Cutting |
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Soil |
S. dulcificum prefers a slightly acidic soil. PH 6 seems like a good number. Hard and loose soils can all work, though looser soils do grow plants faster. Our farmed plants are in a very heavy soil, which also floods every summer in the wet season and through typhoons. In periods where the roots and lower stems are under water for over a week, tehy atart to suffer. Other than that, they can tolerate overwatering in Taiwan's southern climate. | |||||||||||
Water |
They can handle flooding, as mentioned above, but not extended periods of drought. In winter, when we receive almost no rain for months, they will drop leaves if not watered. Try to keep them always slightly moist, and no problems will occur from simple water issues. | |||||||||||
Feeding |
We use manure placed on top of the soil, that is enough for them. If using liquid fertilizers, every month or every other month is ok. They often have slightly light green leaves, but if they start going lime/yellow, they are pretty hungry. | |||||||||||
Light |
Direct sun for non-seedlings is ok so long as it is not super intense. Shade for seedlings is needed, about 50% shade cloth is ideal. | |||||||||||
Pruning |
Only to maintain shape. We prune to stay under 2 meters and so that a person can walk between the rows of plants. Always prune in growing season, during warm weather. | |||||||||||
Climate |
Miracle fruit is a tropcial plant, for sure. Keep it above 5C, in high humidity and it will like you. They dont like super dry weather and super intense sunshine, they are not cacti. If you have a plant drop leaves due to extended cold temperatures, it is probably not domrant, like an apple tree, but dead. They can take brief dips down to 2C that we have seen, but they sure hate it! Feezing will kill. | |||||||||||
Other |
Miracle fruit is not a fast plant. In our climate in tropical Taiwan, it takes 3 years to produce fruit from seed grown plants. They like humidity, PH around 6 and all but the strongest of sun. | |||||||||||
Other | ||||||||||||
Related Species |
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Human Uses |
Miracle fruit is used for it's taste altering effects. When as little as one fruit, or berry, is chewed and moved around the mouth, the taste of certain types of bitter and sour are altered to sweet. Things such as lemons, some beers, tomatoes and many other things become quite sweet. This has become a popular novelty item as of late, which has also sparked entire parties surrounding the alteration of taste. Due to this alteration of the taste buds, it has drawn attention of the medical community as well with possible uses for disorders such as diabetics which may benefit from having a sweet flavour without sugar. It has also drawn teh attention of ignorant policy makes in some areas who clearly have a hard on for oppresion. | |||||||||||
Chemicals/Activities |
Please note: Some chemicals may not be listed and some may or may not be toxic. Do not consume plants based on this table, it only gives a general idea of *some* of the chemicals this plant contains.
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Links |
Kada's Garden, Ethno Culture, Photo Gallery, Dr. Duke's Phytochemical and Ethnobotanical Databases | |||||||||||
Pictures | ||||||||||||
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