Native to Florida in the USA. Rabbiteye are generally non-deciduous, and require less chilling than northern highbush, for satisfactory bud break in spring, about 450-600 hours. A different Rabbiteye variety should be planted nearby.
We have documented the particular qualities of the various Rabbiteye varieties and they appear below.
Brightwell
Vigorous, upright bush with heavy yields of large fruit. Good flavour and scar, but has gritty texture and tough skin. Fruits with Premier several weeks earlier than Tifblue. Excellent bush shape.
Premier
Bush has moderate vigour with nice, sweet flavoured, medium to large fruit. Excellent fruit colour and scar.
Powderblue
Tough plant with moderate vigour and small to medium light blue fruit. Very similar in looks to Tifblue, but fruit is smaller.
Tifblue
Released in America in 1955. Still widely grown and accepted as the benchmark for all rabbiteye varieties. Bushy upright vigorous growth, medium to large light blue fruit.
T102
Vigorous, spreading bush. Large firm fruit with good flavour. Berry is dark and somewhat flat with a very big calyx. Can split after heavy rain. Ripens a week or so after Tifblue. Very heavy yields.