Unusual Fruit Trees

Whether you’re looking to add a unique element to your yard or take your gardening skills to the next level, growing an unusual fruit tree is a fun and “fruitful” challenge to say the least! Typically of a tropical variety, unusual fruits are unique, one-of-a-kind selections that are most likely not native to your area. From the Honey Jar Jujube to the Paw Paw Tree, these exotic plants make your garden extraordinary.

Unusual fruit trees are not often found at your local nursery or big-box store, but they are FastGrowingTrees’ speciality! Learn about some of our one-of-a-kind, unique trees below to add an exotic element to your own backyard.

Benefits of Unusual Fruit Trees

Fresh, homegrown fruit: When you grow your own fruit at home, you know exactly what you’re getting. Avoid guessing games in the grocery store, wondering how long a piece of fruit has been sitting on the shelf or what pesticides may have gone into its growing process. Enjoy perfectly ripe, pesticide-free fruit when you plant your own rare fruit tree at home!

Cost savings: Exotic, tropical fruit often demands trips to specialty stores and top-dollar prices (if you can even find it at all!), but when you grow your own unusual fruit tree, you can cultivate pounds of unique, delicious fruit at a one-time price!

Generous gifts: With your own abundant fruit supply at home, you can share a unique, impressive gift with family and friends!

Varieties of Unusual Fruit Trees

There are a number of rare fruit trees available at FastGrowingTrees to make a statement in your yard. Below are some of our favorites.

Yuzu Trees: A unique Japanese citrus, this one-of-a-kind citrus tree features elegant foliage and distinctive fruit that tastes like a combination of lemon and lime. Chefs worldwide use it as a substitute for more common citrus fruits to add a distinctive flavor to their dishes. The sour pulp is rarely eaten, but the rind and juice are a terrific addition to sweet and savory dishes. This tree grows well in containers year-round, or in the ground outdoors in Zones 8 and higher. An abundant producer, the Yuzu tree requires 4-8 hours of full sun daily, is self-fertile and rarely bothered by pests, and reaches 5-10 feet tall at maturity, making it an easy-to-grow garden favorite!

Paw Paw Trees: Not only is the paw paw fruit amazingly delicious...but it delivers lush green leaves with tropical appeal and vibrant blooms. But in addition to its beauty and taste, the Paw Paw Tree is unbelievably strong—hardy down to -10 degrees, offering tropical treasures in even the chilliest climates. So, you can bring the tropics home in most of the continental U.S., at least in growing zones 5-9. But the best part? Its fruit resembles a cross between a banana and a mango tastes like Boston Cream Pie!

Soursop Trees: Soursop Trees produce remarkable fruit with a unique look and flavor. Boasting an elongated shape and bright green, prickly skin, soursops are known for their amazing health benefits as they’re chock full of potassium, calcium, iron, vitamin C and vitamin A. The fruit’s zesty tropical aroma will fill the room, so you won’t want to wait to experience the exotic flavor and feel that has been described as a cross between banana, mango, and pineapple. This low-maintenance tree can be container-planted in zones 4-11.

Dragon Fruit Cactus:

Enjoy island harvests and visual appeal with the dragon fruit’s sweet-smelling, eye-catching blooms. From its climbing, lush green vines to its palm-like trunk, the Dragon Fruit Cactus lends a unique look to your garden. Even better is the fact that its gorgeous growth and delicious fruit thrive through tough, dry conditions. The Cactus's fruit is wonderfully unique, with a striking pink skin that's easy to peel and a juicy, milky-white flesh speckled with small black seeds. The sweet yet subtly sour taste resembles a mix of melon, kiwi, and pear. The Dragon Fruit Cactus can be grown outdoors in zones 9-11 or enjoyed as a patio plant in zones 4-11.

Jackfruit: A truly unusual fruit, our Jackfruit Tree can produce up to 100 pounds of fruit each season! With its large, oblong shape, and softly spiked green exterior, Jackfruits can weigh anywhere between ten to fifty pounds! The Jackfruit’s pulp tastes reminiscent of a sweet banana mixed with the tang of mango and pineapples. It’s perfect for enhancing smoothies and ice cream. A popular meat substitute, Jackfruit gains the texture and flavor of pulled pork when cooked and is popular in curry, tacos, and sandwiches. Grow outdoors in zones 9-11 or as a patio plant in zones 4-11.

Breadfruit: A staple in Oceanic cultures, but a rarity in the U.S., the Breadfruit Tree makes an incredible addition to your yard. Soaring to heights of 40-80 feet, with a width of 20', your Breadfruit tree will look unlike anything else growing in the neighborhood. Large green-yellow fruit, growing to the size of a football, hangs from thick, sturdy branches adorned with lush green foliage. Packed with calories, carbohydrates, protein, and amino acids, this fruit is an excellent choice for vegans, vegetarians and those with limited diets due to food allergies. Breadfruit cannot be eaten raw; however, treating Breadfruit like tofu, you can add it to any dish and it will absorb and magnify the flavor. If you don't live in a warm climate, you can still grow a Breadfruit Tree as a container plant.

Goji Berries:

Packed with antioxidants, amino acids, vitamins C, B, and E, this fruit tree allows you to harvest your very own crop of sweet superfood berries! It's highly disease resistant and rarely bothered by insects—even deer and rabbits leave it alone. Just plant it and pick it! They thrive in the ground in zones 5-9, tolerate temperatures down to -10 degrees, and will flourish well in the dry west or humid east. If you're outside of its needed growing zones, you can still grow these berries in containers to let them enjoy the warm summers outdoors, and transfer them inside when temperatures drop.

How to Grow and Maintain Unusual Fruit Trees

Specific directions on how to grow and maintain your fruit trees will depend vastly on the variety you choose to grow, so be sure to carefully read up on the directions for your selected tree. However, there are several key details you’ll want to be clear on before committing to any fruit tree. Here are some of the basics to help you get acquainted with the needed care steps your plant will need to thrive.

Growing Zone: If you’re planning to plant outside, your growing zone will need to match your desired variety, but many of our unusual fruit trees do well as container plants, so you can bring them outdoors in the summer months, and maintain them on the patio during the winter.

Planting Site: When planting in the ground, you’ll want an area with well-drained soil and the proper sunlight (most fruit trees enjoy full sun!). Water the surrounding soil to settle your plant’s roots and mulch to conserve moisture in the area. If patio planting, be sure to select a container large enough to accommodate the tree’s root ball.

Pollination: Most of our unusual fruit trees are self-fertile, so you won’t need another plant to aid its fruit production. However, for those that need a cross-pollinator, we’ve recommended the best pollination partners on each specific product's page. With indoor trees, hand pollination may be necessary. However, the process is easy: Simply transfer pollen from one bloom to the next on your tree by using a clean, dry, fine-tipped paint brush and swirling pollen on each bloom’s center until the process is complete.

Common Questions about Unusual Fruit Trees

What is the most unusual fruit?

There are a number of unique fruit varieties that aren’t easily found at your local nursery or grocery store, but when it comes to determining the most unusual fruit—it’s really a matter of opinion! Jackfruit is the world’s largest tree-grown fruit known for its meat-like texture and often used in vegan cooking, while the Southeast Asian fruit durian is banned in some public areas because of its pungent smell!

What are some interesting facts about fruit?

The USDA recommends that adults consume 1.5 to 2.5 cups of fruit a day—and with so many fruits, the fun facts are endless:

There are over 7,000 varieties of apples in the world.

Apricots are a member of the rose family.

The average person eats 33 pounds of bananas in a year.

Cherries have been dated back to prehistoric times.

Figs have as much calcium as a glass of milk.

Ripe cranberries will bounce!

The name for dates come from the Greek word for ‘finger.’

More Resources

Fruit Trees 101: Care

Fruit Trees 101: Choosing & Planting