Cubiu (Orinoco apple)
Solanum sessiliflorum
A fast, bushy nightshade with tart, tomato-like fruit for juice and stews; fruits in months.
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 5 ft tall, 4 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: Amazon basin
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.
Good for: food.
Native to: Tropical South America. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.
The story
Cubiu, the Orinoco apple, was domesticated by Indigenous peoples of the upper Amazon and Orinoco, who used it in sauces, juice and fish stews and grew it in their forest gardens; it tastes between tomato and citrus and is being revived by Brazilian growers.
Planting
Full sun, rich moist soil, and heat; grow like a tomato, as an annual where it frosts. Sow seed and set out after frost; a 6-foot shrub.
Growing
Water and feed generously; stake. It fruits in six months.
Harvest and use
Fruit ripens orange in late summer; use in juice, sauces and stews. Peel the skin.
What to watch for
Whitefly, nematodes, and frost.
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More tropical and subtropical food plants
General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home