Chamba

'Chamba' is the red-fruited Surinam cherry that circulates in the specialist nursery trade as the counterpart to the black cultivars — Queen Creek Tropicals in Arizona, for instance, sells exactly three options: 'Lolita' (black), 'Chamba' (red) and unnamed seedlings. It is described as a very productive red selection whose fruit turns almost fire-engine red at full ripeness, and, importantly for this crop, as lower in the resinous compounds and higher in sugar than the wild seedling reds that give Surinam cherry its mixed reputation. One caveat worth knowing: bright red pitangas are also popularly called "chomba" pitangas in parts of the growing world, so the name may have started as a type description before nurseries attached it to specific propagated material, and plants sold under it are not guaranteed to be a single clone. Buy from a seller who propagates vegetatively from a known mother plant if you want predictable fruit. For gardeners who prefer the brighter, more acidic red pitanga flavour to the sweet dark types, it is the named option most often in stock.