One of my favorite trees here at the university grows right behind the herbarium. It’s been there for years (the building was constructed about 1974), and is now about 25 feet tall. (I’m terrible at estimating heights of trees …but let’s just say that it’s tall enough for you to cause serious damage if you fell out of it, while climbing around. But why would you want to climb around in this tree?

It’s simple: this is an honest-to-goodness fruit tree, producing prolifically. The fruits are amazingly tasty, and the funny thing is, not many people around here seem to know what they are missing when the ripe fruits are ready. Here’s how it works:

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John Nelson is the retired curator of the A.C. Moore Herbarium at the University of South Carolina. As a public service, the Herbarium offers free plant identifications. For more information, visit www.herbarium.org or email johnbnelson@sc.rr.com.

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