How2Day: Apricot Trees in Florida

The Japanese apricot is a beautiful ornamental that grows in parts of Florida. ULTRA.F/Photodisc/Getty Images
Apricots, like other deciduous fruit trees originating in temperate climates, need a certain amount of cold weather, or chill hours, in order to set fruit. Florida's hot tropical to subtropical climate means that most parts of the state do not get cold enough long enough to suit apricot trees. In addition, most low-chill apricots cannot tolerate Florida's high summer temperatures. Therefore, in the 1950s, Florida began a low-chill fruit breeding program to develop apricots suitable for growing in the state.

The Japanese apricot (Prunus mume) grows in Florida's Panhandle and into north and north central Florida in areas in USDA hardiness zone 8B. However, it is not suitable for the rest of the state, which is in zones 9a to 10b. This ornamental flowering apricot tree produces round yellow fruits 1 to 3 inches long that attract birds. Unfortunately, the Japanese apricot is literally for the birds because the fruit is considered inedible for humans. The Japanese apricot tree grows 12 to 20 feet tall and it is used on decks, patios or along highway medians, according to the University of Florida Extension.

Plant breeders developed the tropical apricot by crossing Dovyalis abyssinica and Dovyalis hebecarpa. The result in 1953 was a natural hybrid from Florida that is propagated by air layering and cuttings. The fruit has a velvety bronze-colored skin. It is about 1 1/4 inches long and tastes like an apricot when it is fully ripe, according to the California Rare Fruit Growers. The tropical apricot is sweeter than its parent plants, has fewer thorns and only one tree is needed for fruiting. It is also known as the Florida apricot and it is widely available from commercial nurseries.

Research continues in the search for a subtropical apricot. Plant breeding centers have worked on crossing other apricots with a low-chill variety from Thailand, resulting in some early success. The first home garden apricot genotypes were produced from those first seedlings in 2002, according to the University of Florida Extension. Unfortunately, as of 2010, it is unknown when or if the subtropical apricot will be perfected and made available commercially.

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