Indian mulberry (Morinda citrifolia) is a tropical evergreen shrub or small tree native to southeastern Asia, Polynesia, and northern Australia that grows 10 to 18 feet tall in zones 11 and 12. Known in Hawaii as noni, this plant produces distinctive lumpy, potato-shaped fruits that have gained worldwide attention for their commercial juice extraction and purported health benefits. The foliage is attractive and evergreen, while the showy seasonal flowers and edible, ornamental fruits make it a striking addition to warm-climate gardens. It tolerates drought once established and adapts to various soil types, thriving in full sun to partial shade.
Partial Sun
Moderate
11-12
216in H x 180in W
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Moderate
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The knobby, lumpy fruits are unmistakable and visually striking, quite unlike any other tropical shrub you might grow. Noni juice derived from these fruits has become a globally traded product, making this plant agriculturally and commercially significant in warm regions. Once established, it shrugs off drought and accepts poor soils with equanimity, while the dark evergreen foliage provides year-round structure. The plant flowers seasonally with showy blooms that give way to those peculiar, potato-like fruits.
The primary use is fruit harvest for noni juice production, which is processed and sold worldwide as a health beverage. The lumpy fruits themselves can be eaten fresh, though their flavor is pungent and acquired. The plant also serves as an ornamental hedge in tropical landscapes, where its evergreen foliage and showy seasonal flowers provide structure and visual interest.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Harvest the noni fruits when they mature to a pale color and develop their characteristic lumpy, potato-like shape. The fruits are edible and can be processed into juice or eaten fresh, though their flavor is distinctive and pungent. Timing varies with seasonal blooming cycles; collect fruits as they ripen on the plant.
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“Morinda citrifolia traveled from its native range in southeastern Asia and Polynesia to northern Australia, and then across the Pacific to Hawaii, where it became deeply embedded in the islands' botanical and cultural landscape. In Hawaii, it earned the common name noni, and the fruits became the basis for a juice product that eventually reached markets worldwide. Over recent decades, commercial processing of noni juice has transformed this humble tropical shrub into an economically important crop, though it remains relatively uncommon in most Western home gardens.”