Jobo, a delicious and very useful fruit tree

Image – Wikimedia/Filo gèn

El jobo It is a fruit tree that is grown so little that it is rare and difficult to find for sale. However, as long as the weather is good, it is a very interesting plant, which in addition to giving very good shade, produces fruits with a very pleasant flavor.

But since it is rare, there is very little information about it. So if you have come this far looking for the characteristics and their care, you are in the right place. Then you will be able to read the file that we have prepared for you  .

Origin and characteristics

Image - Flickr / Reinaldo Aguilar

Our protagonist is an evergreen tree native to tropical America, including the West Indies. Currently it has managed to naturalize in the tropical forests of Africa, India and Indonesia. Although its scientific name is Mombin spondias, It is known more as jobo, hobo or yuplon.

It is characterized by reach a maximum height of 25 meters, with a trunk diameter of up to 35-40cm. The bark is brown or gray, rough with longitudinal ridges, and with spiny projections. The leaves are 18 to 43cm long, foliolate. The leaflets are oblong, lanceolate or elliptical, with the entire margin, glabrous except the main and secondary veins that are seen in the bundle.

The flowers are grouped in pubescent inflorescences, cream or white in color. The fruit is oblong, 2-4cm long, rounded and yellow or orange. when it matures.

How do you take care of yourself?

If you want to get a copy, we recommend providing the following care:

Location

The jobo, being a tropical tree, can only be grown outside in frost-free climatesIf you live in a mild climate, you should plant it in full sun or partial shade, at a distance of 5-6 meters from walls, pipes, and other structures. For more information on this topic, you can check out how to care for the jocote tree.

Land

Soil it has to be fertile, well drained and slightly acidic (pH of 6). In calcareous soils, it may present with iron chlorosis (iron deficiency), which manifests itself as yellowing of the leaves, leaving the veins green. For more information on this aspect, we recommend you review the guide on growing jobo. It's also important to know that soil can influence the flowering of fruit trees, a topic we discuss in another article.

Irrigation

Irrigation it has to be frequent, since it does not withstand drought. The ideal would be to water it every 2 days during the hottest time of the year and every 4 days the rest. You have to use rainwater or lime-free. In the case of not being able to obtain it, you can add the liquid of half a lemon or a few drops of vinegar in a liter of water.

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Guano powder.

During the flowering and fruiting season, it is highly recommended to fertilize the jobo with organic fertilizers.and guano or chicken manure (If you can get the latter fresh, let it dry in the sun for at least a week; this will prevent it from burning the roots.) You can also sprinkle egg and banana peels, tea bags, expired vegetables, and wood ash. To learn more about fruit tree care, see This article about the flowering of fruit trees.

Multiplication

This tree multiplies by seeds, which must be planted immediately after harvesting the fruit or purchasing it, following these steps:

1. The first thing to do is, of course, eat the fruit  .
2. Second, the seeds are cleaned well with water and a scouring pad that will have had a drop of dishwasher on it.
3. Third, they are rinsed off, removing all traces of foam.
4. Fourth, a pot of about 10,5cm in diameter is filled with universal growing substrate for plants and watered.
5. Fifth, a maximum of 2 seeds are placed and covered with a thin layer of substrate.
6. Sixth, the surface of the substrate is sprayed with water, and the seedbed is placed in semi-shade.

If everything goes fine, will germinate in 2-3 weeks.

Rusticity

Can't stand the coldThe minimum temperature must be 18°C ​​or higher. The maximum temperature should preferably not be more than 30°C. For more details on the climate required, check out our guide on growing the jobo tree.

What uses does it have?

Ornamental

The jobo is a very ornamental tree, which It serves both to provide shade and to have as tall hedges. In addition, although due to its characteristics it is not a pot plant all its life, for many years it can be grown in it if it is transplanted every 2 years, which is very interesting if you want to decorate the patio, for example.

Culinary

The fruit can be consumed fresh or in juices. You just have to peel it and enjoy its flavor  .

Medicinal

But without a doubt its best known use is medicinal. From this plant both the leaves and the fruits are used, as well as the bark. Let's see what each one is for:

• Leaves: in infusion it is used for cases of diarrhea, inflammation, venereal diseases, labor pains.
• Fruits: the direct application of the fruits acts on skin inflammations, helps fight gum infections, and consumption prevents intestinal and bladder diseases.
• Cortex: taken as a decoction, it has healing, hemostatic and astringent properties.

Other uses

From the ash of the wood of the trunk of the jobo, a lye is obtained in Colombia by adding water, to which beef tallow was added and then subjected to a low heat until obtaining an artisan soap.

Have you heard of this fruit tree?