''Campomanesia adamantium'', commonly known as gabiroba, guavira, or guabiroba do campo, is a short shrub-like plant that grows no taller than 1.5 meters on average It is natively found in the central part of South America, in

Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the Argentina–Paraguay border, south and southwest, Brazil to the Brazil–Paraguay border, east and northeast, and Boli ...

and

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 plant produces small yellow-green edible fruits

Description

''Campomanesia adamantium''

growth habit Habit, equivalent to habitus in some applications in biology, refers variously to aspects of behaviour or structure, as follows: *In zoology (particularly in ethology), ''habit'' usually refers to aspects of more or less predictable ''behaviour' ...

is a small

shrub A shrub or bush is a small to medium-sized perennial woody plant. Unlike herbaceous plants, shrubs have persistent woody stems above the ground. Shrubs can be either deciduous or evergreen. They are distinguished from trees by their multiple ...

. It can grow at height of about 1.3 ft (0.4 m) to 5.9 ft (1.8 m) tall. The leaves are opposite and falsely opposite, meaning that the leaves are not perfectly aligned across from each other. The leaf type is simple with primary brochidodromous venation. ''C. adamantium'' is

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and botany, the term deciduous () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...

and the flowers are created when a new set of leaves are forming. It has solitary flowers that grows on the branches. The nonfragrant flowers are whitish cream in color. The flowers contain 5 petals with radial symmetry. It is

hermaphroditic A hermaphrodite () is a sexually reproducing organism that produces both male and female gametes. Animal species in which individuals are either male or female are gonochoric, which is the opposite of hermaphroditic. The individuals of many ...

containing many stamens and 7- 9 carpels with an inferior ovary. The fruit size can be between 2 and 2.5 cm in diameter. The color of the fruit can vary from green to yellow and contains a juicy pulp with a strong citric taste

Ecology

''Campomanesia adamantium'' is a tropical shrub that grows in the

Cerrado The Cerrado () is a vast ecoregion of Tropics, tropical savanna in central Brazil, being present in the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, Mato Grosso, Tocantins, Maranhão, Piauí, Bahia, Minas Gerais, São Paulo (state), São Paulo, Paraná ...

savannas of Brazil as well as parts of Paraguay. The soil found where this plant grows is acidic, poor in nutrients and drains water well. Periodic flooding of the Cerrado does not seem to pose a threat to this plant as it is able to withstand flooding. The Cerrado has an average temperature of 26-20 degrees Celsius and an average rainfall of 2000–1200 mm, with the majority of rainfall in the summer. The flower produces pollen and nectar and is pollinated in the morning by many species of insects but seems to be predominantly pollinated by bees, specifically the non-native ''

Apis mellifera The western honey bee or European honey bee (''Apis mellifera'') is the most common of the 7–12 species of honey bees worldwide. The genus name ''Apis'' is Latin for 'bee', and ''mellifera'' is the Latin for 'honey-bearing' or 'honey-carrying', ...

''. ''Apis mellifera'' has completely dominated and prevented other native bee species from pollinating this plant. This may be a result of cutting forest area down to make space for agricultural production, or the use of pesticides on nearby cropland

Cultivation and uses

The fruit is eaten by locals for its high vitamin C nutrition and its juicy sweet taste. It can also be used make treats such as ice cream, jellies, and candy. Locals believe that the plant helps with

inflammation Inflammation (from ) is part of the biological response of body tissues to harmful stimuli, such as pathogens, damaged cells, or irritants. The five cardinal signs are heat, pain, redness, swelling, and loss of function (Latin ''calor'', '' ...

diarrhea Diarrhea (American English), also spelled diarrhoea or diarrhœa (British English), is the condition of having at least three loose, liquid, or watery bowel movements in a day. It often lasts for a few days and can result in dehydration d ...

urinary tract infection A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection that affects a part of the urinary tract. Lower urinary tract infections may involve the bladder (cystitis) or urethra (urethritis) while upper urinary tract infections affect the kidney (pyel ...

s, and

gastrointestinal disorders Gastrointestinal diseases (abbrev. GI diseases or GI illnesses) refer to diseases involving the gastrointestinal tract, namely the esophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine and rectum; and the accessory organs of digestion, the liver, ...

. The plant is effective in treating diseases because it is rich in zinc, calcium, aluminum, and potassium. Its high concentration of zinc is helpful for fighting zinc deficient illnesses like diarrhea and malnutrition. It is also rich in aluminum which is contained in many antiulcer drugs. In addition, the extracts from the leaves and fruits reveal to have antioxidant properties that prevent the spread of bacteria and fungi.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15396461

adamantium Adamantium is a fictional metal alloy, most famously appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. It is best known as the substance bonded to the character Wolverine's skeleton and claws. First mention in Marvel comics It was ...

Endemic flora of Brazil