''Lecythis pisonis'', the cream nut or monkey pot, is a tropical tree in the Brazil nut family

Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia. The most important member of the family in world trade is the B ...

. It is known in its native tropical America as sapucaia or castanha-de-sapucaia. The fruit is shaped like a cooking pot and contains edible seeds.

Description

''Lecythis pisonis'' is a large, deciduous, dome shaped-tree with a dense leafy crown. It grows to a height of about . The trunk has ascending branches and much fissured, greyish bark. The leaves are pink as they unfurl but become mid-green with dark speckles later. They are leathery, oblong-elliptic with prominent midribs and toothed margins. The flowers form in

raceme A raceme ( or ) or racemoid is an unbranched, indeterminate type of inflorescence bearing flowers having short floral stalks along the shoots that bear the flowers. The oldest flowers grow close to the base and new flowers are produced as the sh ...

s on the ends of the twigs in September and October. They are purple (occasionally white) with six petals and a central boss of golden stamens and are attractive to bees. The fruits are globose or oblong, cinnamon-coloured and woody, being long and wide. They have a rough

pericarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Ag ...

up to thick and a tight-fitting lid that bursts open when they mature. The seeds are red or brown, elliptical and up to long. They take 11 to 12 months to ripen.

Distribution

''Lecythis pisonis'' grows in the rainforest in eastern tropical America particularly in Brazil.

Uses

''Lecythis pisonis'' is grown as an ornamental tree with new pink growth and purple flowers at certain times of year. The nuts are edible both raw and cooked. Research has shown that the

lipid Lipids are a broad group of naturally-occurring molecules which includes fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids incl ...

content is similar to that of

corn oil Corn oil (North American) or maize oil (British) is oil extracted from the germ of corn (maize). Its main use is in cooking, where its high smoke point makes refined corn oil a valuable frying oil. It is also a key ingredient in some margarin ...

but a high level of certain

heavy metals upright=1.2, Crystals of lead.html" ;"title="osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead">osmium, a heavy metal nearly twice as dense as lead Heavy metals are generally defined as metals with relatively high density, densities, atomi ...

might be toxic and may limit their use as food. They are also eaten by animals and the name "monkey pot" comes from the old

proverb A proverb (from la, proverbium) is a simple and insightful, traditional saying that expresses a perceived truth based on common sense or experience. Proverbs are often metaphorical and use formulaic language. A proverbial phrase or a proverbial ...

"a wise old monkey doesn't stick its hand into a pot". This refers to the fact that a young monkey may plunge its hand into the container and not be able to withdraw the fistful of nuts whereas an experienced individual will remove the nuts singly.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q1387987 pisonis Edible nuts and seeds Plants described in 1833