Our mystery seeds that didn’t show up so well last week were from the golden dewdrop, Duranta erecta.
The common name of the plant comes from the drop-shaped golden yellow fruit.
Golden dewdrop is used as an ornamental shrub, prized for its lavender, blue or white flowers.
Golden dewdrops are native to Mexico and South America. They grow as perennial shrubs in warm areas such as Florida, Texas and, of course, Arizona. They are grown as annuals elsewhere.
Although the plants are listed as good choices for butterfly gardens because the flowers attract butterflies and bees, apparently the leaves and fruit of the golden dewdrop are poisonous to mammals (see Floridata). Consider whether children or pets might be exposed before planting.
Isn’t it interesting how the plant has flowers and fruit at the same time?
Will seeds germinate?
It can ge grown from seeds or cuttings.
I have a golden dew drop tree and it’s beautiful. It keeps blooming and producing berries. I’m hoping that I can grow a few more with seeds from the berries so I can fill my yard with them. I’m in Va so I’m not sure how it will do over the winter. I hope it survives.
Good luck with it.
Do you have to dry the yellow berry before planting it? Thanks. Jim
You could remove the seed from the berry.
Tried cutting 1 open. Not easy/clean process. Ideas on best way to do this? Or maybe a YouTube video on planting them?
Thanks, jim
First of all, be careful because according to some sources the fruit is toxic to humans — but not to birds. The toxicity may vary by variety, but to be cautious you should wear gloves when handling them.
Are the fruit you collected dried out? If so, perhaps you could soak them and plant them. These instructions suggest soaking the seeds for ten minutes before planting: https://homeguides.sfgate.com/how-to-grow-duranta-13424356.html Good luck