Sea Grapes

Sea grapes are in season!

My friend’s grandparents moved to Ft. Lauderdale in 1940, and at that time they pretty much ate off the land.

My friend told me that when she was age six or thereabouts in the early 1960’s, her grandmother would send her on her bicycle to the beach about a mile away during the summer months to pick the sea grapes from the trees. In the fall /winter months, my friend was sent to dig up turtle eggs from their nests. Of course today those activities are illegal.

However, back then, she recalls that it was always a special treat to enjoy her grandmother’s turtle-egg pancakes accompanied by homemade sea grape jelly.

Now she says she that would be a felony because both the eggs and the grapes are protected.

Today we strolled to the beach and noticed the profusion of sea grapes. (See below) which prompted her to share her childhood memories.

If you live along the coast and are looking for a wind-tolerant and salt-tolerant plant, look no further than the sea grape. The sea grape plant is an attractive specimen plant and shade tree, perfect for sandy soil and salty air. Given the right growing conditions, it thrives with minimal care. Read on to get some additional seaside grape information that can be useful when deciding if this plant suits your landscape.

The sea grape tree is a small tropical tree whose common name comes from its fruit which resembles grapes. Native to South Florida, the Caribbean, Central America, and parts of South America, it grows naturally in sandy soils and is often used in ocean-side landscaping.

Sea grape trees grow to about 25 to 30 feet (7.6-9.1 m) in height and spread. Its natural shape is vase-like with multiple stems, but it can be trained to a single stem in a shrub-like shape. After about ten years of training the tree, sea grape care is minimal and must only be watered and occasionally pruned to maintain the desired shape. They are most often utilized to create a windbreak or hedge, although they also make attractive specimen plants. Sea grapes do well in urban environments as they tolerate urban air and pollution, and are often used as street trees along boulevards and freeways. If you’re up for the challenge, sea grapes are also a good tree for the art of bonsai.

The tree is glossy with evergreen leaves that are broad and leathery, between 8 and 12 inches (20-31 cm). Young leaves have a reddish-bronze color that ages to a dark green with red veins. The plant blooms with flowers of ivory to white, which grow in clusters on short stalks. The resulting fruit also grows in clusters, green when immature and deep purple with age. The bark is also charming, smooth with a mottled gray, white, and brown pattern that peels off in sections.

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/shrubs/sea-grape/seaside-grape-information.htm