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Our Tropical Soil

Growing Food in the Tropics
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Published
January 22, 2019
By
Melanie

Introducing the Noni

The noni is a tropical fruit that is known for its medicinal properties and cheese like smell and taste. Most people find this smell and taste to be too overpowering to eat, so a new challenge has arisen on the internet where the goal is to eat the noni fruit. In these challenges the fruit is often referred to as either “vomit fruit” or “puke fruit.” I find these names to be a bit of an exaggeration. 

The noni belongs to the Rubiaceae family, otherwise known as the coffee family. It is native to Southeast Asia, but it can now be seen naturalized in many tropical areas all over the world. Locals eat it it fresh, fermented, or cooked. Different parts of the tree are also used for medicinal purposes.

Noni fruit that is ready to harvest.

Growth Habit of the Noni Tree

The noni grows on a tree, which makes it a perennial species. The tree has soft wood, grows rapidly, and can reach up to 30 feet tall. This makes it a good pioneer species that can be used to restore degraded land. The tree has a deep taproot and many lateral roots that can sprout new noni plants. The large, green, and glossy leaves have an opposite growth pattern. The tree also handles heavy pruning well.

Growth Habit of Flower

The small white flowers grow to around a half an inch across. They have five petals and are self-pollinating. A mature tree can flower and fruit all year long. The flowers are borne on inflorescences that grow on the stems of tree.

Growth Habit of Fruit

The noni fruit is a multiple fruit meaning that multiple pollinated flowers will mature into one fruit. The fruit starts out green and eventually turns a yellowish white. The ripe fruit is translucent, a grey-white color, and firm yet soft. The rings that cover the fruit are scars from where the flowers grew. Fruit size ranges widely, but a large fruit can measure around 7 inches long. 

One fruit can contain over 100 brown triangular-oval shaped seeds. The seeds have an air pocket inside of them which allows them to float. In ideal conditions the noni tree will fruit all year long, however, fruit production is at its peak during the warmer months of the year. I must admit that I have not yet gained the courage to taste this fruit, but it is said to have a bitter and cheese like flavor. In some cultures it is used as a staple food, but in others the fruit is considered a famine food that is only eaten when other crops aren’t available.

Growing Conditions

Noni trees are tropical trees that cannot withstand freezing temperatures. A young and unprotected tree will die if temperatures drop into the low 50s. Mature and established trees can withstand temperatures down into the 50s and perhaps even the 40s. The tree tolerates a wide range of soils and is even seen growing along beaches. A mature noni tree has moderate water requirements and is also drought tolerant. I believe that noni trees can make a good candidate for container growing since they will fruit even while small and are tolerant of many different growing conditions.

Propagation

Noni trees can be propagated by seed from fully ripened fruit. It is said that germination of the seeds takes a couple of weeks. It is recommend to soak the seeds in water and/or knick the seed coat before planting. I have had seeds germinate quickly only by soaking them in water and planting them into pots. Seeds can be stored for some time if they are properly cleaned and dried. Noni trees can also be propagated by stem cuttings, air layering, or by digging up any plants that have sprouted from a mature trees root system. In ideal conditions seed grown trees will produce in their second year while trees grown from vegetative propagation will produce earlier.

Pests

Noni trees are fairly pest resistant. I have not noticed any pests on our noni trees. However, they are supposedly susceptible to root knot nematodes.

This noni is ready to eat.

Uses

There are many uses for the noni tree. Multiple parts of the tree are used for food or medical purposes. There are now many different medicinal noni products that are sold to consumers. A word of caution. There have been some cases where people consuming large amounts of noni juice or tea suffered from liver damage. So, I would be careful when consuming noni products in large amounts.

This noni is ready to harvest.

The fruit can be harvested when white but still firm or left to fully soften on the tree. Some eat the fruit while still firm while others eat it when soft. It can be eaten fresh, dried, cooked, or left to ferment into a juice. The seeds are sometimes eaten when eating the fruit itself, but they can also be separated from the flesh, roasted, and eaten. The leaves are used in some traditional cooked dishes or made into a tea. A red dye can be made from the leaves and a yellow dye from the root bark. Since the fruit is said to have a cheese like flavor I wonder if a small amount of the juice could be used to flavor homemade vegan cheese. I will have to try it one day. 

The one on the left is ready to harvest. The one on the right is ready to eat.

Have you ever eaten a fresh noni fruit? That day for me hasn’t come yet, but I know it will eventually. You can check out other plant profiles by clicking here. You can also find me on youtube by clicking here.

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11 comments on “Noni - Morinda citrifolia”

  1. Can it grow in any soil ? I have a black cotton soil, kenya.
    What are the medical benefits of noni ? Or please give me a link to search about it ?

    I know someone just starting to grow it in Bénin. He make juice.
    Thanks a lot.

    1. I have only done it once. I soaked fresh seeds in water then I planted them. I think allowing them to ferment for a day or two would help to get a lot of the flesh off.

  2. I used to live in Jamaica and my Jamaican friend used to get the fruit, put it in a plastic bag and let it ferment and drink the juice. It's good medicine. I had a doctor friend also that used to prescribe it for some things. She loved the taste of it. I've never tried eating it, only drinking the fermented juice and let me tell you it's the nastiest tasting and smelling stuff I've ever had! Seriously, it doesn't taste like cheese to me. It has a few names, one of them being Vomit fruit. But I love Noni because of its healing properties. I'm now living in upper Florida and I've got 5 small noni plants growing. They usually take more than a few weeks to germinate sometimes months even up to a year. But they have an air chamber, you just nic the end and that speeds up germination. Also I soaked mine in water.

    1. That is great to hear you are growing noni. I really do not like the smell of the fruit at all haha. My dog loves it though and sometimes I let him have a fruit but only sparingly. Thank you for sharing some seed germination tips! Happy growing!

  3. The taste of this fruit noni juice is so yummy.. Nice post, maintaining healthy drinking habits can prevent many major diseases, so get your healthy diet plan today. Thanks for sharing.

    1. I definitely will eventually try it! They are productive even while small. You could probably grow one in a pot and put it somewhere warm in the winter.

Hi, I am Melanie.
I grow food in the tropics. Copious amounts of food till the point I am so overwhelmed about how to preserve it all that I eventually start crying. Can anyone relate?
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