Thomas E. Billings wrote:
>
> Muntingia calabura, the strawberry tree. A small tree native to the Amazon
> basin but now naturalized in a number of other locations, world-wide.
>
> The fruit is small, shaped like a flat grape, and is red or white.
> The flavor is sweet and intense; the flavor kind of explodes in your
> mouth. Once when I obtained a small supply of this incredible
> fruit, I shared it with a friend. She wrote me a thank you note,
> concisely describing the flavor of the fruit as "supernatural".

Do you think it could be related to the tree/shrub of the same name
that is often grown in the San Francisco bay area as a landscaping
plant?  I've never given it much attention, but its fruit is a bit
prickly, I think.  Otherwise, it is much as you describe.  I don't
know its scientific name, unfortunately.

Carol