Noni (Tahitian noni)
Morinda citrifolia
Pungent fruit, prized as a tonic juice across the Pacific; tough on salt coasts.
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: full sun to part shade
Size: about 15 ft tall, 10 ft wide
Harvest: year-round
From: SE Asia to Polynesia; a canoe plant
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: South & Southeast Asian tropics, Hawaiʻi & Pacific Islands, New Guinea & Melanesia. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.
The story
Noni was one of the canoe plants Polynesian voyagers carried from Southeast Asia across the Pacific; in Hawaiʻi and Tahiti it was a famine food and, above all, a medicine, its leaves and fruit used for wounds, joints and the stomach. The pungent ripe fruit smells like strong cheese, and a juice boom in the 1990s sent 'Tahitian noni' around the world.
Planting
Full sun or part shade, any drained soil, even sand, rock or salty coast; no frost. Plant a seedling or cutting in the warm months; a shrub or small tree to 15 feet.
Growing
Water young plants; established ones take drought and salt spray. Prune to keep it bushy. It fruits year-round within two years.
Harvest and use
Pick fruit when it turns from green to translucent white-yellow and softens; ferment or juice it, or cook the young leaves. An acquired taste; traditional use is medicinal, and people with kidney problems or on potassium-restricted diets should avoid the juice.
What to watch for
Cold below about 40°F; the smell of ripe fruit.
Safety
Liver injury has been reported with noni juice, and it's high in potassium, so avoid it with kidney disease or potassium-raising medicines.
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 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