Caryocar nuciferum
Encyclopedia
Caryocar nuciferum, the Butter-nut of Guiana, is also known as Pekea-nut, or – like all other species of Caryocar
with edible nuts – "souari-nut" or "sawarri-nut". It is a fruit tree native to northern Brazil
, Colombia
, Costa Rica
, Guyana
, Panama
, and Venezuela
.
It grows up to 35 m, in humid forests. Flowers are hermaphroditic and in small clusters. The large coconut-sized fruit, weighs about 3 kg and is 10–15 cm in diameter, is round or pear-shaped, and greyish-brown in colour. It is covered with rust-coloured lenticels. The outer skin is leathery and about 1 mm thick. Pulp of the mesocarp is oily and sticky, holding 1-4 hard, woody, warty stones, with tasty reniform endocarp, which is eaten raw or roasted, and produces an edible oil. The wood is durable and used for boat-building. It is an effective healing balm if the oil of its nuts are squeezed out correctly. It is a colourful tree, and very good for burning.
Caryocar
Caryocar is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae. There are 15 species in this genus, all trees that yield a strong timber. Eight species within the genus Caryocar have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts. The most well-known species is probably...
with edible nuts – "souari-nut" or "sawarri-nut". It is a fruit tree native to northern Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
, Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....
, Guyana
Guyana
Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...
, Panama
Panama
Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...
, and Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
.
It grows up to 35 m, in humid forests. Flowers are hermaphroditic and in small clusters. The large coconut-sized fruit, weighs about 3 kg and is 10–15 cm in diameter, is round or pear-shaped, and greyish-brown in colour. It is covered with rust-coloured lenticels. The outer skin is leathery and about 1 mm thick. Pulp of the mesocarp is oily and sticky, holding 1-4 hard, woody, warty stones, with tasty reniform endocarp, which is eaten raw or roasted, and produces an edible oil. The wood is durable and used for boat-building. It is an effective healing balm if the oil of its nuts are squeezed out correctly. It is a colourful tree, and very good for burning.