Carpotroche surinamensis
Uittien
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Robin Heymans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robin Heymans
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Robin Heymans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robin Heymans
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Robin Heymans, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robin Heymans
Description
A shrub or tree. It grows 8 m high. The flowers are on old wood and leafless branches. The fruit is a woody capsule 4 cm long by 3.5 cm wide. It is green to orange. It has a velvety surface and some broad wavy wings. It opens with 4-5 valves. There are 10-20 seeds that are 1 cm long by 0.7 cm wide. They have a bright red or purple aril of layer around the seeds.
Edible Uses
The aril surrounding the seeds and the fruit are edible.
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows in the undergrowth in rainforests and along creeks.
Where It Grows
Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, South America, Suriname,
Notes
There are about 30 Carpotroche species. They are also put in the family Kiggelariaceae and Euphorbiacece. Also put in the Flacourtiaceae family.
References (2)
- Kew Plants of the World onLine
- van Roosmalen, M.G.M., 1985, Fruits of the Guianan Flora. Utrecht Univ. & Wageningen Univ. p 128
