Acnistus arborescens
Encyclopedia
Acnistus arborescens, commonly known as (English
) "hollowheart", "wild tabbaco"; (Spanish
) gallinero; and (Portuguese
) "fruta-de-sabiá".
and South America
, and the Caribbean
. The latter includes Puerto Rico
and the United States Virgin Islands
, where it is classified by the US Department of Agriculture as a native plant
species.
Acnistus arborescens is characterized as a shrubby, rapidly growing tree that can attain 10 feet (3 m) or more in height.
It produces small tubular white flowers, followed by small and succulent orange berries.
Its most noted uses as a medicinal plant are of its berries as an anti-cancer treatment .
Cultivation
Acnistus arborescens is grown as an ornamental tree for garden
s, and natural landscaping
projects to attracting various species of birds, therefore its Brazilian common name, "thrush
fruit" .
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
) "hollowheart", "wild tabbaco"; (Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
) gallinero; and (Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) "fruta-de-sabiá".
Description
It is native to CentralCentral America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. The latter includes Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the United States Virgin Islands
United States Virgin Islands
The Virgin Islands of the United States are a group of islands in the Caribbean that are an insular area of the United States. The islands are geographically part of the Virgin Islands archipelago and are located in the Leeward Islands of the Lesser Antilles.The U.S...
, where it is classified by the US Department of Agriculture as a native plant
Native plant
Native plant is a term to describe plants endemic or naturalized to a given area in geologic time.This includes plants that have developed, occur naturally, or existed for many years in an area...
species.
Acnistus arborescens is characterized as a shrubby, rapidly growing tree that can attain 10 feet (3 m) or more in height.
It produces small tubular white flowers, followed by small and succulent orange berries.
Uses
MedicinalIts most noted uses as a medicinal plant are of its berries as an anti-cancer treatment .
Cultivation
Acnistus arborescens is grown as an ornamental tree for garden
Garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the display, cultivation, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The garden can incorporate both natural and man-made materials. The most common form today is known as a residential garden, but the term garden has...
s, and natural landscaping
Natural landscaping
.Natural landscaping, also called native gardening, is the use of native plants, including trees, shrubs, groundcover, and grasses which are indigenous to the geographic area of the garden.-Maintenance:...
projects to attracting various species of birds, therefore its Brazilian common name, "thrush
Thrush (bird)
The thrushes, family Turdidae, are a group of passerine birds that occur worldwide.-Characteristics:Thrushes are plump, soft-plumaged, small to medium-sized birds, inhabiting wooded areas, and often feed on the ground or eat small fruit. The smallest thrush may be the Forest Rock-thrush, at and...
fruit" .