Other Names:  Cheese Fruit, Great Morinda, Beach Mulberry

Description:

A variegated, evergreen shrub that tolerates and thrives in many harsh conditions; produces dark green and cream foliage with clusters of white flowers; oval, edible, pungent smelling fruit are produced year round and can be eaten fresh, dried or juiced

Edible Qualities

Variegated Noni is a large shrub that is commonly grown for its edible qualities. It produces green oval fruit which are usually ready for picking from early spring to late fall. The fruit will often fade to yellow over time. The fruits have a bitter taste and a pungent fragrance.

The fruit are most often used in the following ways:

• Juice-Making
• Drying

Features & Attributes

Variegated Noni has creamy white-variegated dark green foliage on a plant with a round habit of growth. The glossy oval leaves remain dark green throughout the winter.

This is a multi-stemmed evergreen shrub with a more or less rounded form. Its average texture blends into the landscape, but can be balanced by one or two finer or coarser trees or shrubs for an effective composition. This is a relatively low maintenance plant, and may require the occasional pruning to look its best. It is a good choice for attracting birds and bees to your yard. It has no significant negative characteristics.

Aside from its primary use as an edible, Variegated Noni is sutiable for the following landscape applications;

• Accent
• Hedges/Screening
• Orchard/Edible Landscaping
• Container Planting

Planting & Growing

Variegated Noni will grow to be about 18 feet tall at maturity, with a spread of 12 feet. It has a low canopy with a typical clearance of 5 feet from the ground, and is suitable for planting under power lines. It grows at a slow rate, and under ideal conditions can be expected to live for approximately 20 years.

This plant is typically grown in a designated edibles garden. It does best in full sun to partial shade. It is very adaptable to both dry and moist growing conditions, but will not tolerate any standing water. It is considered to be drought-tolerant, and thus makes an ideal choice for xeriscaping or the moisture-conserving landscape. It is not particular as to soil type or pH, and is able to handle environmental salt. It is quite intolerant of urban pollution, therefore inner city or urban streetside plantings are best avoided. This is a selected variety of a species not originally from North America.; however, as a cultivated variety, be aware that it may be subject to certain restrictions or prohibitions on propagation.

Variegated Noni is a good choice for the edible garden, but it is also well-suited for use in outdoor pots and containers. Because of its height, it is often used as a 'thriller' in the 'spiller-thriller-filler' container combination; plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants and those that spill over the edges. It is even sizeable enough that it can be grown alone in a suitable container. Note that when grown in a container, it may not perform exactly as indicated on the tag - this is to be expected. Also note that when growing plants in outdoor containers and baskets, they may require more frequent waterings than they would in the yard or garden.