''Acioa edulis'' of the family
Chrysobalanaceae
Chrysobalanaceae is a family of flowering plants, consisting of trees and shrubs in 27 genera and about 700 species of pantropical distribution with a centre of diversity in the Amazon. Some of the species contain silica in their bodies for rig ...
. (The tree's Portuguese
common name
In biology, a common name of a taxon or organism (also known as a vernacular name, English name, colloquial name, country name, popular name, or farmer's name) is a name that is based on the normal language of everyday life; and is often con ...
: Castanha-de-cutia;
syn. ''Couepia edulis'' (Prance) Prance) is a fruit and timber tree, which is native of
Amazon Rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin ...
vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plants and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular Taxon, taxa, life forms, structure, Spatial ecology, spatial extent, or any other specific Botany, botanic ...
in
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. The trees grow naturally only within a small area of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
. However, they proliferate widely within this area. The tree is around 25 meters (82 feet) tall, with entire leaves that are oval or round, measuring three or four inches (8 to 10 centimeters) in diameter, with a petiole up to one inch (2.5 centimeters) in length. Its fruits range from 8-9 centimeters (3 to 3.5 inches) in length and 4-5 centimeters (1.75 to 2 inches) in diameter. and contain a single nut. Later these nuts float on the waters and have been collected for centuries as the source of a valuable oil, but their source was unknown until 1978 when botanical explorer
Ghillean Prance
Sir Ghillean Tolmie Prance (born 13 July 1937) is a prominent British botanist and ecologist who has published extensively on the taxonomy of families such as Chrysobalanaceae and Lecythidaceae, but drew particular attention in documenting th ...
discovered the species of tree which produces them.
Cultivation
The fruit is edible or can be pressed to extract oil used in cooking or soap making. The kernel is also edible.
See also
*
List of plants of Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil
This is a list of plants found in the wild in Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil. The estimates from useful plants suggested that there are 800 plant species of economic or social value in this forest,
according to Giacometti (1990).
{{Expa ...
References
External links
''Acioa edulis''wood photo
Chrysobalanaceae
Trees of Brazil
Trees of the Amazon rainforest
Tropical fruit
Taxa named by Ghillean Prance
Plants described in 1972
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