There are two documented species of Synsepalum that produce the miracle fruit berry. Synsepalum dulcificum is the slower growing variety with smaller, narrow leaves with the taste twisting properties that change sour foods to sweet.

Its much larger cousin Synsepalum subcordatum. is the 'giant miracle fruit' and this larger leaf variety  will eventually develop into a small tree of twenty-five to thirty feet  within approximately ten years. This variety does not possess the taste twisting properties of its smaller cousin and will not turn sour foods sweet.

Its berries are a little bigger than those of Synsepalum dulcificum and are more densly populated throughout the plant, particularly in the early years of growth. Mature plants of both varieties appear on average to yield the same amount of miracle fruit berry.

Synsepalum dulcificum is an evergreen shrub that  grows very slowly and will achieve a height of four to six feet if planted in a container and ten to fifteen feet in is natural habitat.  The miracle fruit plant exhibits a pyramid or oval shaped bush and its eventual size will depend on where it's grown and the prevailing weather conditions.

Acid soil, partial shade plus a constant supply of micronutrients are essential to its well being and it thrives under warm temperatures, high humidity and is sensitive to frost. With this in mind, the miracle fruit plant makes an ideal choice for planting in containers allowing it to be moved easily from one location to another..

Fill a container with a 50:50 mix of peat and perlite as this combination will create an acidic environment with good drainage, essential for the miracle fruit plants well-being.  A one foot miracle fruit plant is perfectly at home in a three gallon pot and should flower and bear miracle fruit at least twice a year, possibly more frequently.

To propagate the  miracle fruit berry, sow the miracle fruit seed in a rich and well drained medium and water lightly every other day. The miracle fruit seed must barely be covered by the soil and should germinate in approximately ten weeks. New miracle fruit plants grow very slowly in their first year and are seldom more than two or three inches tall at the end of the first year's growth.

When growing miracle fruit  seed, expect to wait two to three years before the miracle fruit plant reaches a height where it will begin to grow more rapidly and yield miracle fruit berries. Unless you are prepared to wait a few years, it is best to locate a mature and full miracle fruit plant of at least one foot in height which is ready to flower.

The miracle fruit plant begins fruiting when it reaches approximately one foot in height with the mature plant displaying a little miracle fruit for most of the year. In its native habitat, the miracle fruit plant produces two large miracle fruit berry crops after each rainy season.

Half-inch brown-and-white miracle fruit flowers give way to scarlet, oval-shaped miracle fruit. At the centre of the miracle fruit berry is a large miracle fruit seed and the pulp surrounding it can be easily nibbled away. Flowering miracle fruit plants should bear miracle fruit berries after four to six weeks.

A step by step guide to growing the miracle fruit berry can be found here.