Jácana fruit

What it is

Jácana is Pouteria multiflora, also called bully tree or broadleaved lucuma. Its round or oval fruit turns from glossy green to yellow-orange. The pulp inside is creamy to pasty, with a sweet flavour.

At the fruit garden in Campina do Monte Alegre, Brazil, fruit reaches 5–8 cm (2–3.1 in) long. A thin yellow-orange skin surrounds orange flesh.

Where it comes from

Jácana’s home stretches through Jamaica, Puerto Rico and the Lesser Antilles into northern South America. In Puerto Rico it grows in moist coastal forest, forest on limestone and the lower slopes of mountains. Trees are harvested in the wild, and some are planted in home gardens for their fruit; the tree also makes a good shade tree.

How it's eaten where it grows

Where it grows wild, jácana is usually eaten fresh. The flesh around the seeds is creamy, sometimes pasty, with a mild, sweet flavour.

In Campina do Monte Alegre, in Brazil’s São Paulo state, the fruit garden scrapes the pulp from the seed with a spoon. It goes into mousse, cold milk drinks, cake fillings and ice cream.

How it's grown

Jácana is an evergreen tree that grows best in moist soil that drains well. In Brazilian cultivation it can stand 4–7 m (13–23 ft) tall, while forest trees grow much taller.

Propagation starts with fresh seeds, planted soon after the flesh comes off. Drying damages their ability to sprout. Young seedlings grow better with shade than in full sun.

When and where you'll find it

In moist tropical climates, jácana trees can carry fruit at different stages throughout the year. Most fruit comes from wild trees, with the odd tree in a home garden; in Jamaica, jácana also reaches local markets. In the US, Trade Winds Fruit sells its seeds for planting under the name broadleaved lucuma.