JUNE PLUM – dwarf – Spondias dulcis

JUNE PLUM – Dwarf – Spondias dulcis

The dwarf June plum, 

Spondias dulcis, is a smaller version of the standard June plum tree, making it a more manageable option for home gardens and even container growing. 

Fruit:

• Spondias dulcis is most commonly used as a food source. It is a very nutritional food containing vitamin B, C, and A. In West Java, its young leaves are used as seasoning for pepes. In Costa Rica, the more mature leaves are also eaten as a salad green though they are tart. However, it is most commonly used for its fruit.
• The fruit may be eaten raw; the flesh is crunchy and a little sour. According to Boning (2006): “The fruit is best when fully colored, but still somewhat crunchy. At this stage, it has a pineapple-mango flavor. The flesh is golden in color, very juicy, vaguely sweet, but with a hint of tart acidity.”[4] In Indonesia and Malaysia, it is eaten with shrimp paste, a thick, black, salty-sweet sauce called hayko in the Southern Min dialect of Chinese. It is an ingredient in rujak in Indonesia and rojak in Malaysia. The juice is called kedondong in Indonesia, amra in Malaysia, balonglong in Singapore and gway thee in Myanmar.
• The fruit is made into preserves and flavorings for sauces, soups, braised and stews. In Fiji it is made into jam, its leaves are used to flavour meat.[5] In Samoa and Tonga it is used to make otai. In Sri Lanka the fruit is soaked in vinegar with chili and other spices to make acharu. In Vietnam the unripe fruit is eaten with salt, sugar, and chili, or with shrimp paste. Children eat the fruit macerated in artificially sweetened licorice extract. In Jamaica, it is mostly considered a novelty, especially by children. It can be eaten with salt or made into a drink sweetened with sugar and spiced with ginger. In Barbados, the ripe fruit is eaten naturally, or sprinkled with a bit of salt,[6] or dipped in the ocean’s natural slightly salty water while at the beach. It is also used to make juice in Grenada and Saint Lucia. In Trinidad and Tobago, it is curried, sweetened, salted, or flavored with pepper sauce and spices. In Cambodia it is made into a salad called nhoam mkak (/ɲŏam məkaʔ/ ញាំម្កាក់). In Suriname and Guyana, the fruit is dried and made into a spicy chutney, mixed with garlic and peppers. In Thai cuisine both the fruits and the tender leaves are eaten.

Tree:

• Size: Dwarf varieties typically grow to around 6-8 feet tall.
• Fruiting: Dwarf June plum trees fruit at a younger age and smaller size compared to standard varieties.
• Climate: Thrives in warm, tropical and subtropical climates like Florida (zones 9-11).
• Hardiness: It is not frost-tolerant.
• Self-fertile: They are self-fertile, meaning you don’t need another tree for pollination.
• Growth Habit: It’s a fast-growing, deciduous tree that may lose its leaves during the winter or dry periods. 

Care:

• Sunlight: Plant in a location that receives full sun to partial shade.
• Soil: Requires well-drained soil.
• Watering: Water regularly, especially when the tree is young and during dry spells.
• Fertilizing: Use a balanced, general-purpose fertilizer.
• Pruning: Prune to maintain shape and size. 

In summary, the dwarf June plum is an excellent option for those looking for a smaller fruit tree that produces delicious, versatile fruit and is relatively easy to care for in warm climates.