Myrica rubra
Origin: China
Improvement status: Cultivated
Seeds per packet: ~10
BOTANICAL SAMPLE - NOT GERMINATION TESTED
Life cycle: Perennial
Also called Chinese bayberry or Chinese strawberry in English and Yamamomo in Japanese, this East Asian native subtropical evergreen tree produces delicious red fruit with a sweet-tart flavor that look like miniature red Osage oranges. In the same genus as our native bog myrtle, the shiny leaves are the only obvious indication of their relatedness. Yang-Mei is grown widely in China, mainly south of the Yangtze River, and there are over 100 different cultivars grown. Believe it or not, as of 2007, there was twice as much acreage devoted to yumberry in China as there is to apples in the United States! The plant is native to China, Japan, Korea, and the Philippines.
Besides fresh or frozen consumption, the fruits are also dried, canned, fermented into alcoholic beverages, or soaked in baijiu (Chinese sorghum liquor). The name “Yumberry”, trademarked in the European Union, was coined to make the fruit more appealing in Western markets. To some extent, this has been successful, with “yumberry” juice, tea, candy, powder, even lip balm appearing in US markets in recent years. The fresh fruit don’t travel well, but they hold their own when frozen, unlike many fruits (we can testify to the fact that they are still very tasty after being thawed out).
The fruit is packed with antioxidants, and is being researched for a range of medicinal effects, including anti-cancer and anti-viral properties. According to Plants for a Future, the plant is “astringent, carminative, vulnerary. The stem bark is used as a wash in the treatment of arsenic poisoning, skin diseases, wounds and ulcers. The fruit is carminative, pectoral and stomachic. The seed is used in the treatment of sweaty feet [who knew that was treatable?]. The plant is used in the treatment of cholera, heart ailments and stomach diseases.”
Our China-grown seeds were imported by the good folks at Sheffield’s Seeds in Locke, NY.
GROWING TIPS: Soak seeds for 24 hours then cold-moist stratify in the fridge for 90 days. Seed may start germinating during stratification, so keep an eye on them starting after a few weeks. Sow seed ⅛ inch deep. Plant in ful sun or partial shade. Prefers moist soil that’s mildly acid or neutral. It can handle sandy, loamy, and clay soils, as long as they’re well-drained.
NOTE: The photo of the fruits on the tree comes from Yoshio Kohara and is shared here under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license. Others are in the public domain.
