The yellow to deep red, cherry-like fruit of a Brazilian tree of the myrtle family. These fruit, which are now grown in the U.S., are slightly acid and are eaten out-of-hand and used in jams and jellies. Also called "pitanga."
The Surinam Cherry (Eugenia uniflora) is a plant in the family Myrtaceae, native to tropical America. Known as Pitanga throughout Brazil, it is a large shrub or small tree with a conical form, growing slowly to 8 meters in height. The leaves are glossy green, up to 4 cm long, and new leaves are copper-colored.