Does it need to ba a tree? Or would a large shrub work?

mangosteen!

Alan

(might get bigger than 12 feet, but will take a while.)

A large shrub would work just as well.
And just to make my request more difficult, I would like fruit rather quickly :-)
I have full sun, and clay soil.

If I could find another decent sized mangosteen, maybe. But I worry about the full sun. The farms that grow them here are at much higher elevations than I am, so it is cooler.

My first choice would ba an abiu, Pouteria caimito. Even though they do get larger they can be pruned and kept smaller (I have seen very nice looking trees about 10-12'). They generally are very productive, bearing several times/year, and bear at 2 to 3 years from seed. Plus they are wonderful tasting and the trees are very attractive.
You could also for for a Annona. The sugar apple A. squamosa is a pretty small tree & they will produce pretty early too. Another Annona relative, Rollinia, gets larger than the sugar apple, but they also bear when small & can be pruned.

Cocoa?

Cherry of the Rio Grande, Barbados Cherry, Dwarf Bananas (many varieties), Sugar Apples, Atemoyas, Jaboticaba (very slow-growing), Miracle Fruit, Dwarf Mangoes (many varieties), Wurtz Avocado, Pitomba, Papaya (many varieties), Coffee, Dwarf Mulberry, Figs, Cashew- these are some I grow, and all are under 10' tall, and producing.

I also grow low-chill Apples, Plums, Peaches, Nectarines, Pears, Blueberries, Blackberries and Grapes. They are all kept small for easy care.

A very interesting cactus with lovely fruits are the Pitayas, or Dragonfruit. They are usually grown on a pole that has support at the top so they can arc downward. Easy to keep under 10' tall.

I'm sure I've forgotten some plants, but the above list should get you started(G).

Lisa

Carambola is a pretty good choice if you want precocious fruiting and manageable size. Of course, you may wind up with more fruit than you can use after a couple of seasons... Annona species would also be good choices, as Popper1 suggested, although I would recommend that you go with an atemoya over the sugar apple; the '4826' and 'Geffner' varieties are both excellent.

Thanks everyone!
Now I have to decide from this great list. I am going to a fruit farm in 2 weeks, I will see what he has.

Dwarf Mango sounds good- anyone have a favorite variety? These trees I can occasionally get grafted.

I would like to get a 4826, but getting grafted varieties of unusual trees is not that easy here. I love cherimoyas, but can't seem to get them to grow here, do these atemoyas taste similar? If so, I WILL find one!

I really enjoy this forum, thanks for all your help!

Atemoys are slightly inferior to, but similar to cherimoya.

Depending on how dwarf you need, I believe Cogshall is one of the smallest. If you closely manage one, a Mallika tastes great and is not super huge.

Gary

I actually prefer the "Gefner" atemoya to any cherimoya I've ever had (and I've had quite a few different cherimoyas). I know several people who agree with me, although most folks seem to prefer the cherimoya (they are meatier, after all). "Gefner" atemoyas are not difficult to find in Mayaguez - you might have a hard time finding a "4826" though. As a side note, I personally think that the best tasting Annona is the ilama, although they are too seedy to be worth the trouble most of the time; besides, if Bryan Brunner can't get them to grow in PR then no one can.

I've actually discovered that I no longer like atemoyas. I loved the one I picked 3 years ago when my tree was new. We had a decent harvest of about 15 fruit this year, ripening up nice, and I don't like them. My wife is loving them though. Two more are left on the tree. Too bad for me! I like soursop last time I tried it (but its strenuous to eat because its so tart), so perhaps that's the way for me to go.

Gary