''Caryocar nuciferum'', the butter-nut of Guiana, is also known as pekea-nut, or – like all other species of ''
Caryocar
''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...
'' with edible nuts – "souari-nut" or "sawarri-nut". It is a fruit tree native to northern
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Colombia,
Costa Rica,
Guyana,
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...
, and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
This colourful tree grows up to 35 m, in humid forests. Flowers are hermaphroditic and in small clusters. The large coconut-sized fruit, weighs about 3 kg, is round or pear-shaped some 10–15 cm in diameter, and greyish-brown in colour. The outer skin is leathery, about 1 mm thick, and covered in rust-coloured lenticels. The
''Encyclopædia Britannica'' Eleventh Edition (1911) called it "perhaps the finest of all the fruits called nuts. The kernel is large, soft, and even sweeter than the almond, which it somewhat resembles in taste."
Pulp of the mesocarp is oily and sticky, holding 1-4 hard, woody, warty stones, with tasty, reniform endocarp, which is eaten raw or roasted, and produces a nondrying edible oil. The wood is durable and used for boat-building. The correctly expressed oil of its nuts produces an effective healing balm.
This species is illustrated and discussed in detail in ''
Curtis's Botanical Magazine
''The Botanical Magazine; or Flower-Garden Displayed'', is an illustrated publication which began in 1787. The longest running botanical magazine, it is widely referred to by the subsequent name ''Curtis's Botanical Magazine''.
Each of the issue ...
'' volume 54 published in 1827, and figured o
plates 2727 and 2728using material sent from the island of
Saint Vincent by the Revd.
Lansdown Guilding
Lansdown Guilding (9 May 1797 – 22 October 1831) was a theologian and naturalist. He is best known for his works on the flora and fauna of St Vincent in particular and on the Caribbean in general. He wrote numerous illustrated papers for journal ...
.
References
External links
CIRAD-FLHOR/IPGRI Project for Neotropical Fruits: ''Caryocar nuciferum''
nuciferum
Flora of Brazil
Flora of Colombia
Flora of Costa Rica
Flora of Panama
Flora of Venezuela
{{Malpighiales-stub