Wuzi Yangmei (乌紫杨梅)

Description

Wuzi is a local variety from Xiangshan County, named for its purple-black fruit when ripe, and also known as “jiamei” in the region. The tree is vigorous with an open structure and round-headed shape, predominantly made up of medium to short fruiting branches. The leaves are 11.2 cm long and 3.3 cm wide, with rounded tips, entire edges, and a dark green color.

The fruit is large and spherical, with a longitudinal diameter of 3.32 cm and a transverse diameter of 3.45 cm. The average weight is 23.5 g, with some fruits reaching up to 45 g. The fruit stalk is flat, and the flesh column’s top is blunt and smooth. When mature, the fruit is purple-black and shiny, with thick, juicy, soft flesh that is both sweet and sour. The soluble solids content is above 11%, reaching up to 14%, with an acid content around 1% and an edible rate of 93.8%.

The fruit has a slightly concave fruit stalk and base, with a shallow suture line. The fruit core is slightly larger and relatively sticky, but the fruit has a hard texture and is resistant to storage. Wuzi matures in mid-to-late June, about 5 days earlier than Dongkui, and in mid-to-late May in Chaoshan, Guangdong and Zhangzhou, Fujian, which is close to the maturity periods of both Dongkui and Wusu.