What Does a Jabuticaba Tree Look Like? A Full Guide to Growing Regions and Market Prices

Jabuticaba, also called the precious fruit, has dark purple fruit that closely resembles grapes and enjoys the name of the delicious “tropical grape.” It is rich in nutritional value and has a unique taste, with flavors reminiscent of mangosteen, guava, sugar apple, pineapple and more. So, what does a jabuticaba tree look like? Which places is it suitable for growing? What is the market price?

I. What Does a Jabuticaba Tree Look Like?

Jabuticaba, also known as the jaboticaba tree, belongs to the Myrtaceae family. It is an evergreen shrub or thicket, with the tree height and canopy reaching 10-12 m (meters); old trees can still produce at a hundred years old. The trunk is smooth and its outer bark tends to peel off. The leaves are opposite, long-ovate or long-elliptical, with pointed tips and entire margins. New leaves are pale red, and the plant stays evergreen year-round. At a glance, a mass of dark purple fruit is extremely spectacular.

II. Which Places Is Jabuticaba Suitable for Growing?

Jabuticaba is suited to cooler tropical and subtropical climates with moderate to high rainfall. Most varieties can tolerate low temperatures of -2.8°C, while some varieties can tolerate low temperatures of -4.4°C. Practice has shown that saplings have already been sold to Tianjin, where in winter it drops to -10°C, and after the ice and snow melt, the spring seedlings sprout and then send out shoot tips.

III. What Is the Market Price of Jabuticaba?

At present, the market price of jabuticaba is around 100 yuan per jin, and as demand grows, the price will rise further; in some places it even sells for 400 or 500 yuan per jin.

The distinctive traits of jabuticaba make it suitable as a bonsai and garden tree. It is evergreen all year, grows slowly, has a graceful tree shape, and does not host scale insects or aphids. The fruit can be eaten and also enjoyed for its ornamental value, making it extremely suitable for balcony container planting, garden landscaping or potted appreciation. The fruit can be eaten fresh or processed into fruit wine, juice, ice cream and pastry fillings. However, fresh fruit easily loses water and will ferment after being stored at ordinary room temperature for 2-3 days; it does not keep well, which greatly limits the expansion of its fresh-fruit market. Therefore, although jabuticaba skin is hard, care should be taken during harvest to avoid bumps and wounds, so as to prevent the fruit from being damaged, losing water or becoming infected with bacteria and rotting faster.