Savannah Cherry (Eugenia calycina)

Tart-Sweet Superfruit Native to Brazil’s Savannahs Savannah Cherry (Eugenia calycina), also called Cerrado Cherry, is a delicious, antioxidant-rich fruiting shrub native to the tropical savannahs of Brazil. This rare Eugenia species produces deep red to black fruits about the size of a cherry, with juicy pulp that’s sweet, tart, and packed with flavor—perfect for eating fresh, making jams, syrups, or even wine. Often confused with the Cherry of the Rio Grande (Eugenia involucrata), Savannah Cherry has its own unique flavor and growth habit. While both produce cherry-like fruits and have similar evergreen foliage, Savannah Cherry is generally more compact, better suited for container growing, and tends to fruit earlier and more reliably in a wider range of subtropical environments. Its leaves are slightly rounder and more leathery, and the fruit has thinner skin with a bolder flavor punch. This species is high in anthocyanins and antioxidants, with a growing reputation as a superfruit.