Cedar Bay Cherry (Eugenia reinwardtiana)
Grow a piece of paradise in your backyard with Cedar Bay Cherry! This evergreen tree or shrub is native to rainforests of the Pacific Islands and delights with bright glossy leaves, beautiful white flowers, and delicious sweet, orange-red fruit. Enjoy this exotic beauty as a stunning ornamental and a delicious fruit tree for your garden.
Cedar Bay, or Beach Cherry, is a small evergreen tree or shrub native to rainforests in northern Queensland, Indonesia, and the Pacific Islands. It is grown commercially on a small scale for its sweet fruit and as an ornamental shrub. Its glossy leaves, white flowers, and edible, orange-red fruit make it an appealing tree or hedge for home gardens.
Cedar Bay Cherry grows 8’ to 20’ high with a rounded crown. White flowers bloom from late spring to early summer, then develop into sweet fruits that taste like cherry with a hint of grape. The 1” cherries are a highly popular fruit in Australia and can be eaten out of hand, used to flavor candies and drinks, as pie fillings, chutneys, preserves, or as toppings for yogurts, ice cream, or salads. They are full of antioxidants, a good source of vitamin C, and they are reputed to lower cholesterol and help with sleep.
Like other members of the Myrtle family (Myrtaceae), the shiny, elliptical leaves are covered with oil glands that emit a fragrance when crushed, and Cedar Bay Cherry’s leaves give off a distinctive apple scent. New leaves are an attractive pink color before they mature into a bright green.
Cedar Bay Cherry grows in full sun to partial shade in moist, well-draining soil and is hardy in USDA zones 9 to 11.