This exotic vine has heart-shaped leaves and produces small yellow flowers followed by unusual looking spiky fruits which change colour from green to yellowy-orange when ripe. The seeded, lime-green jelly like interior of the fruit is rich in nutrients and has a mild flavour which is sometimes described as a cross between cucumber, courgette and kiwifruit (although as it ripens, it tastes more like a banana). It is thought to be the ancestor of all other cultivated melons, and should be grown like an ordinary cucumber but with less water and in a dryer atmosphere. ... Learn More

This superb fruit is relatively new on the scene, the golden variety being much sweeter, and the pulp softer, rather like a mushy fruit salad. The fruit has a smoother skin and a small nub or point on one end, whereas the green kiwi is slightly fuzzier, and symmetrically oval, and most people find the smooth skin more palatable. The plants do well to be pruned hard back at the end of each growing season. ... Learn More

Sometimes called Chinese oranges, these are the smallest, weirdest, and certainly the rarest of the common citrus fruits. In a contrary turnaround from others in this group, the tasty skin and zest are extraordinarily sweet and tasty, whilst the juicy insides are just the same as many oranges. The size of very small plums, they are often used as an expensive winter treat and can be eaten whole, just as they are, (yes really, I have tried them), or cooked with sugar, spices or spirits to make sweet compôtes and aromatic chutneys, and are often sliced whole and used in curries. The small fruiting trees are usually bred to be sterile, thus almost all commercial trees give fruits with no seeds. And so, although they grow true from seed, very few fruits actually contain good seeds, if any at all, hence the very high price. ... Learn More

The Wood Apple is a slow growing tree related to the citrus family, with leaves bearing oil glands, which give a slight lemon scent when crushed. Flowers are very fragrant and cream in colour so therefore attract many pollinators. Native to India and Sri Lanka, the woody berries are ceremonially eaten during the Ganesha Festival ... Learn More

These lovely fruits need no description, being one of the healthiest foods you can eat, providing roughage as well as being sweet and juicy, so people in warmer countries can soon have a long-lived fruit tree in their garden! These plants also make attractive indoor container plants for growers in colder climates. ... Learn More

Usually a pale green to yellow when ripe, this amazing fruit is much larger than a grapefruit, with sweet flesh and thick spongy rind. By far the largest citrus in the world, the pummelo can reach 12" in diameter. Similar in appearance to a large grapefruit, it is native to South and Southeast Asia and is a natural citrus fruit, not a hybrid, and is indeed one of the original citrus species from which the rest of cultivated citrus were produced by hybridisation. The pummelo tree itself bears most attractive white flowers and generally has a somewhat crooked trunk and low, irregular branches. Botanists amongst you may be interested in its large number of names worldwide which are appended below...... Chinese grapefruit, Assamese: ৰবাব টেঙা robab tenga • Bengali: বাতাবি লেবু batabi lebu, ছোলঙ্গ cholanga, জাম্বুরা লেবু jambura lebu • Gujarati: પપનસ papanas • Hindi: बतावीनीम्बू batawi-nimbu, चकोतरा Chakotara, पपरमास papar-mas • Kannada: ಚಕೋತ ಹಣ್ಣು cakota hannu • Konkani: तॉरंद toranda • Malayalam: കമ്പിളിനാരങ്ങ kampilinaranna • Manipuri: ꯅꯣꯕꯥꯕ নোবাব Nobab • Marathi: बंपारा bampara, चकोत्रा cakotra, पपन्नस papannasa • Mizo: kamalo • Oriya: ବାତାପି batapi • Sanskrit: करुण karuna, मल्लिकापुष्प mallikapuspa • Tamil: மெதுக்கு metukku, பம்பளிமாசு pampalimacu, பொம்மாசு pommacu • Telugu: పంపరపనస pamparapanasa • Urdu: چکوتره Chakotara ... Learn More

A slow-growing, ornamental, spiny evergreen shrub or tree bearing small deep red to purple, plum shaped fruit. It tolerates frequent trimming and can be closely planted to form a tall hedge, windbreak or boundary screen. The soft, juicy pulp of the fruit can be acidic in flavour and is often used to make jams, preserve and jellies. The bark, leaves and root are used medicinally in parts of Asia and Africa. ... Learn More

An evergreen, wind resistant tree with bark which is rich in a white, gummy latex substance called chicle. It bears green, glossy leaves and inconspicuous, white, bell-like flowers. The unripe fruit has a firm outer skin which becomes saggy when fully ripe. The pale yellow to earthy brown flesh has a grainy texture similar to that of a pear, with a sweet, malty flavour. When soft to the touch they can be eaten raw or the flesh can be puréed to make ice cream, smoothies and sauces. ... Learn More

This very well-known and distinctive fruit has ridges running down its sides, usually five but sometimes more, its cross-section resembling a star. The entire fruit is edible and is usually eaten out of the hand, having a unique thirst-quenching ability like no other. It is also used in cooking, and for relishes, preserves, and juice drinks. The tree needs, above all, good drainage, and will not tolerate being waterlogged. It is popular throughout its native lands in south east Asia, the Southern Pacific, East Asia, and is also cultivated throughout other non-indigenous tropical and sub-tropical areas, such as Latin America, the Caribbean, and the southern parts of the United States. Good fertile seeds are hard to come by. ... Learn More

The Tamarillo (Cyphomandra betacea) is the "Tree Tomato". Like its cousins of the closely-related Lycopersicon genus (the ordinary common tomato), the egg-size fruit makes good eating, and is typically made into jams or conserve, although it is recommended that the skin and seeds are removed before cooking. It therefore makes either a fruiting shrub or a superb foliage plant! It is easily grown from seed and makes a pleasing contrast to the more typical foliage of cannas, gingers and bananas. Easily grown from seed, the roots of this plant are quite tough surviving moderate frosts, and in relatively mild areas usually re-grow from the base. Otherwise grow in a large container and overwinter frost free. ... Learn More