PlantFiles: Cherry of the Rio Grande, Rio Grande Cherry
Eugenia aggregata

I also looked and went way out of my way to find a cherry for my region and this year, after planting about a 3 to 4 inch plant and 5 or 6 years,that I got from the Aripeka area Rare Fruit counsel I got 7 little Bing Cherries like fruit way closer to the flavor then I thought was possible I was Pleasantly surprise. It has stood tempertures 28- 30 fr for probably 7 or 8 hrs at a time with no damage in a pretected area. My first thought after the first bite why didn"t I buy more of these I wish I had a hedge of them. I plan on Planting as many as I can get cuttings off of mine. I was wondering if they bush out more if you prune them, and when to do it. plus I got about 5seeds I think look good and strong Thank You if anybody can help me Cat

A wonderful evergreen tree with glossy leaves and peeling bark that produces attractive small white guava-like flowers year-round (at least in central Florida) followed by fruit that tastes just as good as Bing cherries. I had searched long and hard for any cherry tree in Florida that produced fruit that was as sweet and flavorful as Bing cherries (which don't grow here sadly) until finally I bought one of these trees. It's very easy to grow in a pot if you live in zone 8 or above, and I have read that they are cold tolerant to 18 degrees fahrenheit when mature. When growing in a pot make sure to keep the soil adequately moist and in full sun. In my experience it has not been invasive. The Cherry of the Rio Grande is an excellent tropical fruit tree that should be planted more in Florida and other subtropical and tropical regions!