Rubiaceae, Randia formosa, blackberry jam fruit

Randia formosa, from the Rubiaceae family, native to Brazil, is a small tree related to gardenia and coffee and chacrua. It has fragrant, white flowers similar in aroma to the gardenia. The tree doesn’t get much taller than eight feet. The fruit is a yellow capsule with an almost brittle shell, similar in shape, although smaller in size and color, to the pomegranate. Upon breaking open the capsule, one will find dark, jam-like pulp with numerous seeds in its midst. The pulp has a taste similar to that of blackberry jam, or some other jam, thus the name.