The Raisin Tree - These Fruits Are a Weird and Wonderful Treat

The raisin tree, Hovenia dulcis, is a tree from Asia that does have "fruits" that look and taste very much like raisins. These sweet, tasty morsels don't look very attractive, since they're brown and shriveled like their namesake, but they are a great favorite in Japanese and Chinese markets, where they have been grown commercially and sold in markets since before the time of Confucius.

This tree became available for Western gardeners in the early 1800's, but few people grow this ornamental tree, and almost nobody outside Asia has ever eaten the fruit. Lee Reich, author of Uncommon Fruits for Every Garden says they taste slightly astringent, with a flavor that reminds him of candied walnut and Asian pear.

The true fruit of this 30 to 70 foot tree is not the part you actually eat. Instead, you eat the "peduncle", or the stalk that first holds the flower and then the fruit. This stalk swells into a wrinkled, dark mass that looks like raisins that have dried in the sun. Each edible stalk is quite small, but the tree will be completely covered with them.

The raisin tree is a native of China, and resembles the American basswood. It has large glossy green leaves, and has interesting vertically stiped bark showing in winter.

The tree blooms later than most fruit trees in American gardens, when they come alive with masses of small cream-colored flowers in late June or early July. The trees are self-fertile.

These are not demanding plants. They bear fruit as long as they are given good soil, regular water, and a long enough growing season. They can grow in USDA zones 6 through 10. They begin to bear three to five years after planting.

As you can imagine from the lateness of their flowering, the "raisins" on the raisin tree do not ripen until quite late. Any peduncles picked too early will be disappointingly tasteless. You will need patience to pick the fruit, which grow at the end of the branches. After harvesting the "raisins" can be eaten out of hand, or chopped up and used in baked dishes.

This is a rare plant in the United States, and your local nursery will probably not carry it. You can find seeds online. The seeds will need to be scratched with a file before planting. You can also find potted trees online at OneGreenWorld.com, which specializes in rare and unusual fruits for the American gardener.