Many fruits that are grown in temperate regions are actually of tropical origin. Examples are tomatoes, squash and peppers, which develop their fruits quickly and can be grown as annuals. However, most tropical fruits are harvested from plants that are not amenable to this type of cultivation. So, we do not have easy access to the great diversity of fruits found in the tropics with the exception of bananas, pineapples and avocados.

Citrus - trees with evergreen leaves, cultivated plants originated in SE Asia. Natural relationships are obscure, hundreds of taxa have been named but some researchers feel that all cultivated citrus came from 3 original species. Citrus easily forms stabilized hybrids so this adds to the confusion.
Fruit is an herperidium which is a berry with a tough skin formed by exocarp and mesocarp. The skin has cavities filled with aromatic oils. The edible part (endocarp) contains hairs modified into juice sacs.
Culture - cannot tolerate freezing temperatures, require soil moisture, sun and dry air. Bud grafting is most common method of propagation.

Sweet orange - Citrus sinensis - most widely grown, possibly of hybrid origin, 3 main types:
Blood - bands of red, more popular in Europe.
Normals - Valencia, most popular, grown in Florida, juice orange.
Navels - fairly recent, name refers to small ovary on top of regular ovary. They are sterile so don't produce seeds to must be grafted, primarily for eating.

Lemon - Citrus lemon - used for flavoring, deodorants


Bitter orange - C. aurantium - preserves, marmalade, liquers

Citron - C. medica - peel is candied and put in fruitcakes

Lime - C. aurantriifolia - juice used to prevent scurvy, Limeys

Grapefruits - C. paradisi - possibly a cross between pumello (C. maxima) and C. sinensis, probably in W. Indies. Pink grapefruits arose as a bud mutation.

Tangerine - C. reticulata - probably a biological species and not a hybrid.

Squashes - Cucurbitaceae

Corns, beans and squash were the mainstays of early inhabitants of SW U.S., edible squash dates from 6000 ybp in Peru but it was probably used earlier since edible members of this family would have been collected by hunter-gatherers. Most squashes are annuals, vines and dioecious, fruit is a pepo which is an accessory fruit produced from an inferior ovary, the skin or rind is composed of ovary wall and perianth.

Squash - Cucurbita, taxonomy is very confused but there are apparently 4 cultivated species, 3 of which are commonly found in the supermarket.

Cucurbita pepo - pumpkins, zucchini, summer squashes

C. moschata - winter squashes

C. maxima - hubbard, butternut, turban squashes

Citrullus lanatus- watermelon, from Africa

Cucumis melo - cantaloupe, musk and honeydew melons, probably from Africa

Cucumis sativus - cucumber, from S. Asia

Lagenaria siceraria - bottle gourd, cultivated in S. America 7000 ybp and in Egypt 3000 ybp, used as water vessels

Solanaceae

Tomatoes, peppers, eggplants

Tomato - Lycopersicon esculentum - native to E. Mexico, tomatoes were thought to be an aphrodisiac by French, used to evoke werewolves by Germans, scientific name means juicy wolf peach. Rumors of toxic nature of tomatoes persisted until 1820. Tomatoes were not important until processing industry developed to produce canned and bottled products - juice, whole tomatoes, paste, catsup.
Plants are outbreeding perennials, selection has been for self-pollination. Cherry tomatoes are closer to wild types than large-fruited cultivars. Fruit is a berry.

Sweet peppers - Capsicum annuum - from Mexico, 8000 ybp.

Eggplant - Solanum melangena, native to India or China. Important to Indian diet but not widely used in other cultures.

Coconuts

Cocos nucifera - monocot, very imporant plant in tropics, used for oil, fiber, food and drink. Origin is controversial since coconuts can be dispersed by ocean currents. Coconuts are monecious, mature fruit contains one seed which is the largest one known. Green coconuts have liquid endosperm which solidifies to form the "meat". The coconut "apple" is the base of the developing embryo and can also be eaten.

Date palm - Phoenix dactylifera found in arid regions around Meditteranean, domesticated for 6500 years. Dates contain large amounts of carbohydrates, "Tree of life" to Bedouins.

Pineapple - Ananas comosus - New World, pineapple is a multiple fruit formed by 100-200 fused ovaries. Fruits develop without pollination - parthenocarpic
Hawaii is currently world's largest producer of pineapples due to efforts of J. P. Dole. Don't put fresh or frozen pineapple in jello since this is gelatin, which is an animal protein and pineapple contains a proteolytic enzyme.

Bananas - Musa - native to E. Asia and Australia, origin is obscured by hybridization and polyploids, selection for seedlessness. Adult plants are giant herbs. Flowers are monoecious, fruit is an accessory type formed from an inferior ovary. Main obstacle to commercial development of bananas was control of spoilage, which was done around 1930.

Figs - Ficus carica - have an elaborate pollination system involving wasps that mate inside fruit. Inflorescence is a synconium (enclosed), fruit is multiple.

Breadfruit and Jackfruit - Artocarpus - Native to Polynesia, tree that produces multiple fruits. The mutiny on the H.M.S. Bounty occurred during an excursion to collect breadfruits.

Avocados - Persea americana - Have high oil content, known only as a cultivated species from at least 9000 ybp in New World. Was made popular by denying it was an aphrodisiac in 1920's.

Mangoes - Mangifera indica - From SE Asia, important food source for poor of Jamaica and Haiti and can also be found in U.S. supermarkets.

Okra - Abelmoschus esculentus - member of cotton family, from Asia, adopted first by Cajuns. Tolerates hot weather well but is generally only eaten by Southerners due to its slimy nature. Fire ants love it and are a real problem in growing and harvesting okra.

Pomegranates - Punica granatum - source of word for grenade since fruits will shatter and scatter seeds when thrown down.

Papayas - Carica papaya - native to Central America. Fruits are borne directly on stem and are widely eaten in Central and South America. Major use in U.S. is for papain, an enzyme which is used as a meat tenderizer and digestive ailments.

Carambola - Averrhoa carambola - star fruit

Kiwi - Actinidia chinensis - newly popular and cultivated in U.S.

Tropical nuts

Macadamia - sweet, buttery expensive nut grown mainly in Hawaii

Cashews - The "nuts" are seeds, member of same family as poison ivy. Latex in seed coat is irritating.

Brazil nuts - Nuts are seeds, fruits are like cannon balls weighing 2-5 lbs, native to South American tropics.

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