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A jaboticaba (), spelled jabuticaba in Portuguese, is a round, edible fruit produced by a jaboticaba tree ( Plinia cauliflora), also known as Brazilian grapetree. The purplish-black, white-pulped fruit grows directly on the trunk of the tree, making it an example of 'cauliflory'. It is eaten raw or used to make Fruit preserves, jams, juice or wine. The tree, of the family Myrtaceae, is native to the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo in Brazil. Related species in the genus Myrciaria, often referred to by the same common names, are native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia.
The Guarani name is yvapurũ: yva means fruit and the onomatopoeic word purũ, from pururũ, (2014). 9789004272415, Brill. ISBN 9789004272415 describes the crunching sound the fruit produces when bitten.
The tree prefers moist, rich, lightly acidic soil. It is widely adaptable, however, and grows satisfactorily even on alkaline beach-sand type soils, so long as it is tended and irrigated. Its flowers are white and grow directly from its trunk in a cauliflorous habit. In their native habitat, jaboticaba trees may flower and fruit five to six times throughout the year. Jaboticaba trees are tropical to subtropical plants and can tolerate mild, brief frosts, not below 26 °F (-3 °C).
The tree has a compact fibrous root system, which makes it suitable for growing in pots or transplanting.
In Brazil, the fruit of several related species in the Plinia and Myrciaria genera share the same common name.
Commercial cultivation of the fruit in the northern hemisphere is more restricted by slow growth and the short shelf life of fruit than by temperature requirements. Grafted plants may bear fruit in five years, while seed-grown trees may take 10 to 20 years to bear fruit.
Jaboticaba trees are fairly adaptable to various kinds of growing conditions, tolerating sand or rich topsoil. They are intolerant of salty soils or salt spray. (2025). 9781561642151, Pineapple Press. ISBN 9781561642151 They are tolerant of mild drought, though fruit production may be reduced, and irrigation will be required in extended or severe droughts.
Jaboticaba trees are vulnerable to the rust, Austropuccinia psidii. particularly when the tree flowers during heavy rain. Other important diseases that affect jaboticaba trees are canker ( Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), Forest dieback ( Rosellinia), and fruit rot ( Botrytis cinerea). (2025). 9781845697358, Woodhead Publishing Series in Food Science, Technology and Nutrition. ISBN 9781845697358
The fruit has been compared to Muscadine grapes, and in Japan the flavor of jaboticaba has been described as similar to that of Kyoho grapes.
In Brazilian politics, and less commonly in everyday speech, "jabuticaba" is a slang that describes a political or legal setting that is considered absurd, unusual, or needlessly complex, among others, that could only exist in a country like Brazil. It is a reference to the popular wisdom that jaboticaba trees can only grow in Brazil.
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