What Fruits Grow in the South? Common Varieties and Their Features

Southern fruits generally refer to the fruits of fruit trees grown in the tropical and subtropical southern regions. These areas have a warm, humid climate and short winters, which suit warmth-loving fruit trees, so the variety of fruits is extremely rich and fresh produce comes to market almost all year round.

Common southern fruits include citrus fruits such as mandarins, pomelos and lemons, as well as lychee, longan, banana, pineapple, mango, star fruit, guava, dragon fruit, passion fruit, wax apple, loquat, bayberry and coconut, among others. Broadly speaking, summer brings lychee, longan, mango and pineapple, while autumn and winter are dominated by citrus fruits and pomelos; loquat, bayberry and others appear one after another in late spring and early summer.

Most southern fruits have juicy flesh and a rich aroma. Many varieties like heat and fear cold, and it is difficult for them to overwinter outdoors in colder regions, so they mostly rely on southern production areas to ship supplies to markets elsewhere. Tropical fruit trees such as banana, pineapple and mango are relatively sensitive to low temperatures, and after harvest attention must also be paid to cold protection and freshness preservation to reduce losses.

When selecting and eating them, southern fruits taste best when fully ripe, but many kinds respire vigorously and do not keep long, so after buying them it is best to eat them as soon as possible or store them briefly at low temperature. Besides being eaten fresh, these fruits are also often processed into dried fruit, juice, jam and other products, further raising their added value.