At first glance the term Miracle Fruit may remind you of that silly singsong about beans that prevailed in elementary school. But if we take an adult approach to the term we can discover a plant that has great potential to help mankind.
When you see that the official name for the plant is Synsepalum dulcificum Daniell, it becomes easier to see why it got a friendlier common name. In addition to being known as the miracle fruit, it is also called the miracle berry or magic berry.
The plant was first documented in 1725 by an explorer in West Africa. The explorer observed that the native people used the berries of the plant. They ate them before a meal. The plants the explorer saw were impressive at 20 feet in height. They were evergreen and contained small red berries that appeared similar in size to the coffee bean.
Today the plant is grown in the United States but only in the wet tropical regions that can mimic the growing conditions of West Africa. This limits the Miracle Fruit plant to south Florida and Hawaii or to hothouses and container gardens that can be moved indoors to avoid frost. The Miracle Fruit plant typically only reaches about 5 feet in height in the United States. When grown as an indoor plant, the Miracle Fruit plant will work best in right light, except in summer when it needs partial shade.
The Miracle Fruit plant requires an acid soil with an acidity level ranging from pH 4.5 to 5.8. Growers suggest reaching this mix with a combination of Canadian acid peat and pine bark. The soil needs to drain well because the plants do not do well sitting in constantly wet soil. This can be achieved in a container by placing stones in the bottom of the pot and then adding the soil. Fertilizer will help during the summer months.
The Miracle Fruit plant does not require pruning. To propagate the plant, growers use either seeds or cuttings. Seeds have a very short period of viability, meaning that if you plan to plant a seed you should do it quickly upon harvest. The seeds are usually unusable after only two weeks.
So far all we have is an evergreen plant with red berries that requires a fair amount of care to grow. There doesn't seem to be anything special here, and certainly no miracle. But wait. Remember the explorer who saw natives eating the berries before a meal? That's where the miracle lies.
The Miracle Fruit berry is not sweet to the taste, but when it is put in the mouth and chewed up and the pulp is allowed to cover the tongue something truly magical happens. The person can then eat very sour foods without feeling the sourness. Sour citrus fruits like lemons and limes can be eaten with the same enjoyment as oranges. And the Miracle Fruit effect lasts for about 30 minutes.
For native people in West Africa who did not have ready access to natural sugars to sweeten their food, the berries were indeed a Miracle Fruit. Attempts are underway today to tap in to the power of the Miracle Fruit as an alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners.
When you see that the official name for the plant is Synsepalum dulcificum Daniell, it becomes easier to see why it got a friendlier common name. In addition to being known as the miracle fruit, it is also called the miracle berry or magic berry.
The plant was first documented in 1725 by an explorer in West Africa. The explorer observed that the native people used the berries of the plant. They ate them before a meal. The plants the explorer saw were impressive at 20 feet in height. They were evergreen and contained small red berries that appeared similar in size to the coffee bean.
Today the plant is grown in the United States but only in the wet tropical regions that can mimic the growing conditions of West Africa. This limits the Miracle Fruit plant to south Florida and Hawaii or to hothouses and container gardens that can be moved indoors to avoid frost. The Miracle Fruit plant typically only reaches about 5 feet in height in the United States. When grown as an indoor plant, the Miracle Fruit plant will work best in right light, except in summer when it needs partial shade.
The Miracle Fruit plant requires an acid soil with an acidity level ranging from pH 4.5 to 5.8. Growers suggest reaching this mix with a combination of Canadian acid peat and pine bark. The soil needs to drain well because the plants do not do well sitting in constantly wet soil. This can be achieved in a container by placing stones in the bottom of the pot and then adding the soil. Fertilizer will help during the summer months.
The Miracle Fruit plant does not require pruning. To propagate the plant, growers use either seeds or cuttings. Seeds have a very short period of viability, meaning that if you plan to plant a seed you should do it quickly upon harvest. The seeds are usually unusable after only two weeks.
So far all we have is an evergreen plant with red berries that requires a fair amount of care to grow. There doesn't seem to be anything special here, and certainly no miracle. But wait. Remember the explorer who saw natives eating the berries before a meal? That's where the miracle lies.
The Miracle Fruit berry is not sweet to the taste, but when it is put in the mouth and chewed up and the pulp is allowed to cover the tongue something truly magical happens. The person can then eat very sour foods without feeling the sourness. Sour citrus fruits like lemons and limes can be eaten with the same enjoyment as oranges. And the Miracle Fruit effect lasts for about 30 minutes.
For native people in West Africa who did not have ready access to natural sugars to sweeten their food, the berries were indeed a Miracle Fruit. Attempts are underway today to tap in to the power of the Miracle Fruit as an alternative to sugar or artificial sweeteners.
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