Myrciaria “Pedra da Tijuca” – Sweet-Skinned (July Pre-Sale)

Description

This collection comes from the Pedra da Tijuca area in Rio de Janeiro — a dramatic Atlantic Forest mountain landscape of steep granite slopes, chain-assisted trails, waterfalls, dense vegetation, and panoramic views over the city and the bay. The collector found this small-fruited Myrciaria while exploring that elevated forest environment, which gives the plant a very special context: not a backyard selection, but a wild Rio de Janeiro mountain collection from a place that feels almost like an Indiana Jones trail in the tropics. For now the identification remains pending, but the combination of sweet edible skin, sweet pulp, abundant fruiting, and this remarkable origin makes it a very attractive collector’s Myrciaria.

Myrciaria sp. “Pedra da Tijuca” is a newly collected and very rare small-fruited Myrciaria from the Pedra da Tijuca / Tijuca area of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The plant was found growing in an elevated Atlantic Forest environment, with a small upright shrub/tree habit, thin vertical stems, and abundant fruiting. The fruits are small, round, and ripen through attractive yellow, orange, red, and orange-red tones.

According to the collector, the fruit has both sweet skin and sweet pulp — an important detail, since many small-fruited Myrciaria can have skin that is acidic, resinous, bitter, or astringent. This one was described as pleasant, with a sweet edible skin and sweet pulp.

 

 

Botanical identification is still pending. It resembles Myrciaria cuspidata in some ways, but the fruiting season, taste and the location do not match. Compared with available reference photos, the leaves are also broader and more rounded/elliptic than M. cuspidata or M. delicatula material. For now, the safest and most honest label is Myrciaria sp. “Pedra da Tijuca”.

This is best considered a collector’s Myrciaria: rare, beautiful, sweet, and from a very special locality, rather than a large-fruited commercial selection.

Key features
Family: Myrtaceae
Origin: Pedra da Tijuca / Tijuca area, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Type: small-fruited wild Myrciaria collection
Fruit color: yellow-orange to red / orange-red when ripe
Flavor: sweet skin and sweet pulp, according to the collector
Habit: small upright shrub/tree with thin vertical stems
Fruiting: reportedly abundant
Identification: pending; not sold as a confirmed species
Collector value: very high, especially for Myrciaria / jaboticaba collectors

 

Cultivation notes
Seeds of Myrciaria are usually recalcitrant and should be planted as soon as possible after arrival. Sow in a moist, well-draining, slightly acidic medium, such as a peat/sphagnum-based mix with perlite or fine bark. Keep warm, humid, and shaded at first.

Suggested conditions:
Temperature: 22–28 °C / 72–82 °F
Light: bright shade or filtered light for seedlings
Medium: moist but never waterlogged
Water: low-chlorine water preferred
Humidity: moderate to high
Cold tolerance: unknown; protect from frost until more is known

Because this is a new and still-unidentified collection, cultivation data is limited. Grow it as a rare tropical/subtropical Myrtaceae until more field and cultivation information becomes available.

 

July Pre-Sale Notice

This is a July pre-sale item. The seeds are not currently in the USA stock; they are part of a fresh international shipment planned for July. These are rare, recalcitrant tropical/subtropical seeds that should travel and be stored slightly moist, not dry. Your order will be reserved now and shipped once the July lot arrives, is inspected, cleaned if needed, and prepared for dispatch from the USA. If you add other July pre-sale items to the same order, they will be shipped together in one combined shipment. You can combine it with items from the May/Jun or previous batches.