Mocán

Visnea mocanera

The Guanches boiled its small sweet fruit into chacerquén, a syrup kept as food and medicine.

Type: small tree · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 10 to 11
Light: part shade
Size: about 25 ft tall, 15 ft wide
Harvest: June to August
From: Canary Islands and Madeira
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, wildlife, traditional use.

Native to: Atlantic islands (Macaronesia). Hardy in zones 10 to 11.

The story

Mocán is a glossy evergreen tree of the laurel forest, related to tea and camellias. Its small fruits ripen from red to black and were among the most valued foods of the Guanches, the first people of the Canaries, who boiled them into a syrup called chacerquén.

Planting

Part shade to sun in moist, well-drained, slightly acid soil, sheltered from drying wind. Plant in autumn.

Growing

Slow and tidy; mulch well and water in dry summers. It needs little pruning and makes a handsome evergreen screen.

Harvest and use

Pick fruit when black and soft in summer. Eat it fresh, or simmer and strain it into syrup.

What to watch for

Dry air and hot, exposed sites scorch the leaves. Young plants need protection from frost.

Safety

Medicinal uses here are shared as history, not advice. Kitchen amounts are fine for most people, but teas, tinctures and supplements can interact with medicines and aren't safe for everyone, especially in pregnancy, while breastfeeding, for children, or with liver or kidney problems. Ask a doctor or pharmacist before taking any plant as medicine.

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More native and wild 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