The foreign fruit plants have started bearing fruits in Kerala. The fruits of lemon vine, baraba, mahkota dewa and peanut butter plants are ready to harvest in this season. The rare fruits have started ripening in the hill ranges and compounds of houses.
The foreign fruits became popular in the orchards in Kerala within a short span of time. Baraba is native to Australia while lemon vine was brought from West Indies. Peanut butter is native to South America and mahkota dewa is from Indonesia.
Baraba
Baraba, known as lemon drop mangosteen, is an ideal ornamental plant. Its white flowers bloom by November. Three fruits emerge on a single stem. Fruit is seen in the size of a gooseberry. Ripe fruits are yellow in colour. The flesh inside the peel is delicious.
Mahkota dewa
Known as God’s crown, mahkota dewa is common in Indonesia and Malaysia. Fruit cannot be directly consumed. Fruits are dried and its pieces are boiled in water. This solution is consumed to treat diabetes.
Peanut butter
Peanut butter tastes like butter and peanut. Raw fruits are used to make side dishes. Fruits are reddish orange in colour. Birds also consume this fruit. Foreign fruit plants have huge demand in plant nurseries too.
Lemon vine
Lemon vine fruits taste like a combination of tomato and lime. Small leaves growing on fruits make lemon vine fruits unique. Fruits taste sweet and sour. They are commonly planted in gardens as an ornamental plant.
Though a foreign plant, lemon vine is suitable for the climate in Kerala. The small fragrant flowers emerging on the tip of vines are pale yellow in colour. The fruits are green when they emerge and gradually turn yellow. Ripe fruits are red.
