''Morisonia speciosa'', commonly known as , is a species of tree in the family ''
Capparaceae
The Capparaceae (or Capparidaceae), commonly known as the caper family, are a family of plants in the order Brassicales. As currently circumscribed, the family contains 15 genera and about 430 species. The largest genera are ''Capparis'' (about 1 ...
''. It is native to the
Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco or simply Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion o ...
region of
Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
,
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 ...
, western
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 ...
, and northern
Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. It was formerly known under the scientific names ''Anisocapparis speciosa'' and ''Capparis speciosa''. The fruit, seeds, and flowers of ''Morisonia speciosa'' are edible. The fruit is very sweet and has a spicy flavor reminiscent of mangoes. The
Toba and
Wichí
The Wichí are a group indigenous people of South America. They are a large group of tribes, inhabiting the headwaters of the Bermejo River and the Pilcomayo River, in Argentina and Bolivia.
Notes on designation
This ethnic group was referred ...
peoples traditionally use it both culinarily and medicinally.
Taxon and naming
''Morisonia speciosa'' was first described in scientific literature by
August Grisebach
August Heinrich Rudolf Grisebach (; 17 April 18149 May 1879) was a German botanist and phytogeographer.
Biography
Grisebach studied at the Lyceum in Hanover, the cloister-school at Ilfeld, and the University of Göttingen. He graduated in me ...
as ''Capparis speciosa'' as published in ''Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen'' in 1879. It was transferred from the genus ''
Capparis
''Capparis'' is a genus of flowering plants in the family Capparaceae. It includes 142 species of shrubs or lianas which are collectively known as caper shrubs or caperbushes. ''Capparis'' species occur over a wide range of habitat in the subtr ...
'' to the
monotypic genus
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group (taxon) that contains only one immediately subordinate taxon. A monotypic species is one that does not include subspecies or smaller, infraspecific taxa. In the case of genera, the term "unispe ...
''Anisocapparis'' following a description by Xavier Cornejo and
Hugh Iltis published in a 2008 paper. It was renamed ''Morisonia speciosa'' in 2018.
[
''Morisonia speciosa'' is commonly known as bola verde. Other common names for the species include amarguillo, anquitsuk, ancocha, palo verde, payaguá naranja, sacha limón, and sacha naranja. The fruit is referred to as ''atsaj'' by the Wichí and ''neloma'' by the Qomle'ec (Toba) and in ]Pilagá
fThe Pilagá (in Pilagá language, Pilagá language: ''pit'laxá'') are an Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous people of the Guaycuru peoples, Guaycuru group that inhabits the center of the province of Formosa Province, Formosa, in Arge ...
.
Distribution
''Morisonia speciosa'' is native to the Gran Chaco
The Gran Chaco or simply Chaco is a sparsely populated, hot and semiarid lowland tropical dry broadleaf forest natural region of the Río de la Plata basin, divided among eastern Bolivia, western Paraguay, northern Argentina, and a portion o ...
region and can be found in Bolivia
Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...
, 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 ...
, western 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 ...
, and northern Argentina
Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...
. It grows in tropical dry broadleaf forests, sometimes co-occurring with carob
The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an ornam ...
trees.
Description
''Morisonia speciosa'' is a tree or shrub that is in height. It has a dense crown and foliage, with fine, tortuous branches and smooth, thornless, dark green bark. Its elliptic, green leaves are simple and alternate, ranging from in length and in width. The margins of the leaves are simple, with a prominent midrib on the underside, and often notched at the tip, with a small mucron
A mucron is an attachment organelle found in archigregarines—an order of epicellular parasitic Conoidasida.Simdyanov TG, Guillou L, Diakin AY, Mikhailov KV, Schrével J, Aleoshin VV. (2017) A new view on the morphology and phylogeny of eugregari ...
or spine.
''Morisonia speciosa'' has flowers with anisosepalous calyces which are distinctively decussate-imbricate. The floral nectaries have four dimorphic scales. The pollen grains have a fine reticulate surface. The yellowish flowers infloresce solitarily, reaching in length.
The fruit of ''Morisonia speciosa'' are green spherical berries with a shiny exterior. They are in diameter and hang from long peduncles. They contain a yellow-orange pulp and four to eight dark, subglobose seeds which are strongly anisocotylary. They have a compact major cotyledon
A cotyledon ( ; ; "a cavity, small cup, any cup-shaped hollow",
gen. (), ) is a "seed leaf" – a significant part of the embryo within the seed of a plant – and is formally defined as "the embryonic leaf in seed-bearing plants, one or mor ...
and a reduced or suppressed minor cotyledon.
Human use
The fruit, seeds, and flowers of ''Morisonia speciosa'' are edible. The yellowish pulp of the fruit is very sweet and has a spicy flavor reminiscent of mangoes. It is a significant source of dietary fiber, vitamin C
Vitamin C (also known as ascorbic acid and ascorbate) is a water-soluble vitamin found in citrus and other fruits, berries and vegetables. It is also a generic prescription medication and in some countries is sold as a non-prescription di ...
and magnesium
Magnesium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Mg and atomic number 12. It is a shiny gray metal having a low density, low melting point and high chemical reactivity. Like the other alkaline earth metals (group 2 ...
. The seeds and pulp have naturally occurring antioxidant
Antioxidants are Chemical compound, compounds that inhibit Redox, oxidation, a chemical reaction that can produce Radical (chemistry), free radicals. Autoxidation leads to degradation of organic compounds, including living matter. Antioxidants ...
s.
The Toba and Wichí
The Wichí are a group indigenous people of South America. They are a large group of tribes, inhabiting the headwaters of the Bermejo River and the Pilcomayo River, in Argentina and Bolivia.
Notes on designation
This ethnic group was referred ...
peoples have traditionally used ''Morisonia speciosa'' for culinary and medicinal purposes. The fruits are ripe when they fall from the tree. Preservation of the fruit can be done through sun-drying, and underripe fruit may be cooked. Preparation of the seeds involves boiling them and drying them in the sun. They are then crushed and made into flour or a puree that is often combined with oil or fat. The flowers of ''Morisonia speciosa'' have a bitter taste that can be removed by boiling.
Traditional medicinal uses for ''Morisonia speciosa'' include treatments for toothache
Toothaches, also known as dental pain or tooth pain,Segen JC. (2002). ''McGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine''. The McGraw-Hill Companies. is pain in the teeth or their supporting structures, caused by dental diseases or referred ...
s, as an antidysenteric, and against "cold stomach". The bark of ''Morisonia speciosa'' is ground and used in folk veterinary medicine for wound healing and as a treatment for skin myiasis
Myiasis ( ), also known as flystrike or fly strike, is the parasitic infestation of the body of a live animal by fly larvae (maggots) that grow inside the host while feeding on its Biological tissue, tissue. Although flies are most commonly attr ...
. The fruit has been known to be used for fishing bait and the leaves have been used to dye chaguar
Chaguar is the common name of several related species of South American plants of the family Bromeliaceae, among them '' Bromelia serra'', '' Bromelia hieronymi'', '' Deinacanthon urbanianum'' and '' Pseudananas sagenarius'', which are non-woody f ...
fibers.
Fruits of the plant are also eaten by gray brocket
The gray brocket (''Mazama gouazoubira''), also known as the brown brocket, is a species of brocket deer from northern Argentina, Bolivia, southern Peru, eastern and southern Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay. It formerly included the Amazonian bro ...
s.
References
{{Taxonbar, from1=Q89179328, from2=Q15077131
speciosa
Endemic flora of Argentina
Endemic flora of Bolivia
Endemic flora of Brazil
Endemic flora of Paraguay
Fruit trees
Fruits originating in South America
Crops originating from Argentina
Crops originating from Brazil
Crops originating from Paraguay
Berries
Tropical fruit
Plants described in 1879
Taxa named by August Grisebach