''Carapa'' is a

genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...

of flowering plants in the mahogany family, Meliaceae. These are trees up to 30 meters tall occurring in tropical

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

,Hogan, C. M. 2008
Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests.
Encyclopedia of Earth, World Wildlife Fund, National Council of Science and the Environment. and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...

. Common names include andiroba and crabwood.

Diversity

The list of species within this genus is still under discussion. Generally recognized species are: *'' Carapa guianensis'' (andiroba, crabwood): Amazon Region, Central America, Caribbean *'' Carapa megistocarpa'' (tangare): Ecuador *'' Carapa procera'' (African crabwood, kowi, okoto): West Africa, the Congos Other proposed species: *'' Carapa akuri'' *'' Carapa alticola'' *'' Carapa longipetala'' *'' Carapa nicaraguensis'' *'' Carapa vasquezii''

Uses

The

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

is important, and oil is produced from the

seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...

s. The name andiroba is from Nheengatu ''nhandi rob'', meaning "bitter oil". ''Carapa guianensis'' produces oil similar to

neem oil Neem oil, also known as margosa oil, is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (''Azadirachta indica''), a tree which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It ...

. The oil contained in the almond andiroba is light yellow and extremely bitter. When subjected to a temperature below 25 °C, it solidifies producing a consistency like that of petroleum jelly. The oil contains olein, palmitine and glycerin. Andiroba oil is one of the most commonly sold medicinal oils in the Amazon. It is also used to repel mosquitoes by forming an oilseed cake into balls and burned, or mixed with annatto (''Bixa orellana'') and formed into a paste applied topically to protect the body from mosquito bites. Andiroba oil is extracted from light brown seeds collected from beaches and rivers, where they float after being shed by the trees or from the forest ground. Crabwood virgim oil

References

External links

Carapa.org - information about genus ''Carapa''
Meliaceae genera Plant toxin insecticides Crops originating from South America Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet {{rosid-tree-stub