SOME DELICIOUS FRUITS OF THE HANBURY GARDENS
by Elena Zappa
Beside the well- known Mediterranean fruits there are others one can
find that were widespread many years ago and part of the diet of
past communities, but today are forgotten or little known. One can see
these exotic fruits originally tropical or sub tropical in the Garden; some of
which would have first been introduced to Italy, at La Mortola itself, by
Thomas and Daniel Hanbury.
Arbutus unedo
Ziziphus jujuba
Crataegus azarolus
Cydonia sinensis
Mespilus germanica
Punica granatum
Sorbus domestica
Diospyros lotus
The Strawberry tree
Ericaceae
From the Mediterranean and Canary Islands.
This species is typical of the Mediterranean scrubland, and
is widespread also in the Canaries and south west Ireland.
This plant is an evergreen shrub of about 8m in height, with leathery
shiny leaves. It has white flowers in terminal panicles. It fruits and
flowers simultaneously in the autumn. The fruits are round fleshy berries with
a diameter of 1-2cm (sometimes more) with dense tubular pitted
surfaces. They are bright red externally with yellow pulp. They are edible and
they remain on the plant a long time, even throughout the winter, if the birds don't eat them!
The fruits taste sweet but slightly acidy; one can eat them with sugar
and with a sweet wine. In the past they were made into jam or liqueurs.
Their specific name Unedo is derived from the latin
unum edo, one eats just one.
In the Hanbury Gardens there is a notable example near the tennis court.
Chinese date
Rhamnaceae
From S and SE Europe to N China and Japan.
These are small trees, about
4-6m. They were grown in the gardens of the Romans. The fruit is light
brown, becoming reddish. The pulp is whitish and sometimes floury or slimy, with
a slightly acidy sweetish taste that reminds one of dates,(which is
what the Chinese call them).
The fruits are diuretic and laxative. They are eaten raw, especially
when beginning to wrinkle, or made into jams and preserves. The
Chinese remove the stones and dry them on trellises until they are like our
raisins, or boil them in a syrup with rice and honey.
The fruits mature in September.
In the Hanbury Gardens they grow in the lower garden on the edge of
the western citrus orchard.
Azarole
Rosaceae
From Crete, W Asia, N Africa, naturalised in S Europe.
The tree is 4-8m in height, similar
to hawthorn.
The fruits are round and red about 1-3cm, with a buttery pulp, sweet but slightly
acid, containing 1-5 hard seeds. They are picked before they ripen and left for
some days on straw to dry. They can be eaten raw or also made into jelly, jam
or preserves and they keep well in a syrup without their seeds.
There are two examples in the Hanbury Gardens, one near the Cypress
Avenue and one in the lower garden in the Exotic Fruit area.
Quince
Rosaceae
From China
This is a small tree about 5m, originally from Asia and already known to
the Romans by the name of Mala Cydonea. The name comes from Cidone, a town
on the island of Crete, from where it was presumably introduced to Rome.
Initially the fruit is greenish (in Oct and Nov) then it ripens in December,
becoming yellow and emitting a delicious smell.
The pulp is hard and astringent, even when ripe. They are only edible when cooked
for a long time. The fruit can be used for making jelly and candied fruits.
In the Hanbury Gardens it is grown in various parts of the lower
garden near the tennis court.
Medlar Fruit
Rosaceae
From SE Europe and Asia Minor.
This is a small deciduous tree 3-5m in height. It grows wild in woods, and
in hedges in mountainous areas.
It is a plant long known for its fruits, which were more appreciated one
or two centuries ago than today. There are many examples of them in
18th century paintings.
The fruit, bark and leaves are astringent and can be used medically.
When they first ripen the fruits are too sour to eat (November-January),
but when they become over-ripe, as if fermenting, then one can eat them.
The pulp is rich in tannin, becoming brown, soft and sugary with a slightly
acid taste, but an agreeable doughy consistency, the process of ripening can
be speeded up if they are picked and stored in straw.
There is one in the lower part of
the Hanbury Gardens.
Pomegranate
Punicaceae
From the Middle East and naturalized in the Mediterranean.
The pomegranate has been grown since ancient times, and was familiar to
the Greeks and Romans, it was even mentioned in the Old Testament as a
plant growing in the Promised Land. The Phoenicians would have introduced it
to the Jews. They themselves regarded the flowers and fruit as
religiously symbolic.
It is a shrub or small tree, with spiny branches, grown for both its
flowers and its fruit.
The fruit is a large leathery spherical berry crowned by a persistent calyx.
Inside there are different chambers each lined with a yellowish
membrane and containing a stet number of seeds each with a clear juicy coating.
The pomegranate is used in various ways, either eaten as it is or made
into a syrup (grenadine), jelly or as a fermented drink.
Tannin can be extracted from their skins (pericarp)
There is a notable example, on the South Terrace of the Hanbury
Gardens, which was already there in 1867.
Service Tree.
Rosaceae
From S and C Europe, Asia Minor and N. Africa.
The tree is about 15m high, and grows wild in woodland regions of temperate
Europe. The fruit is yellowy brown of about 5cm diameter. They grow in bunches of
5-10. The pulp is rich in tannin, but sour and astringent; however it sweetens
after picking (Oct.-Nov) and is best left to ripen in straw.
There is little interest in the fruit of the Service tree in Italy; but it is used a lot
in France and Germany for the production of cider.
Date plum
Ebenaceae
From Asia. Naturalized in the Mediterranean and the Balkans.
The date plum was first introduced to
Europe in 1596, and was a popular plant in
southern Europe by the end of the 18th century.
In Italy the species is known by various names, such as "legno di Sant'Andrea"
or "legno santo",due to a legend that Saint
Andrea was crucified on one of these trees. In Rome on his Saints day they sell the
fruits, similar to the well known Kaki but smaller.
The fruit ripens in the autumn and is initially very sour, but becomes agreeably
sweet when it begins to wither. The tree is used
for grafting some of the more delicate varieties
of Kaki.
There is a plant in the lower part of the Hanbury Gardens.