Melicoccus lepidopetala

Radlk.

Ivapovo

Sapindaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds 38 iNaturalist observations

iNaturalist· cc-by

iNaturalist· cc-by-nc

Description

A tree. It grows 10-15 m high. The trunk is 40-60 cm across. It has a dense crown of leaves. The branches are crooked. The leaves are compound with two leaflets opposite. The leaves are oval and 8-10 cm long by 3-4 cm wide. The base is unequal. The leaf stalk is 1.5 cm long. The flowers are white. Male and female flowers are separate. The fruit is fleshy and has a hard stone inside. There is a large seed.

Edible Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh, and the seeds are also edible.

Traditional Uses

The ripe fruit are eaten fresh.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. In Bolivia it grows up to 600 m altitude. It Argentina it grows up to 500 m above sea level.

Where It Grows

Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Paraguay, South America*,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. Ripe fruit are harvested and put into plastic bags to soften to make it easier to remove the seeds. The seeds are washed and planted fresh. They germinate in 15-25 days.

Other Information

It is also cultivated.

Synonyms

Melicocca lepidopetala Radlk.

Also Known As

Agua-pomba-macho, Agua-pomba, Ibapobo, Ivapovo, Motoyoe, Papa-mundo, Scaly petal honey berry, Yvapovo

References (12)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2590
Bortolotto, I. M., et al, 2015, Knowledge and use of wild edible plants in rural communities along Paraguay River, Pantanal, Brazil. Journal or Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 11:46
Bortolotto, I. M., et al, 2018, Lista preliminar das plantas alimenticias nativas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Botanica, Porto Alegre, 73 (supl.):101-116
Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 391
Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 529

Show all 12 references

Lorenzi, H., 2002, Brazilian Trees. A Guide to the Identification and Cultivation of Brazilian Native Trees. Vol. 02 Nova Odessa, SP, Instituto Plantarum p 326
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 169
Sitzungsber. Math.-Phys. Cl. Koenigl. Bayer. Akad. Wiss. Muenchen 8:344. 1878
Vasquez, Roberto Ch. & Coimbra, German S., 1996, Frutas Silvestres Comestibles de Santa Cruz. p 204
Wiersema, J. H. & Leon, B., 2013, World Economic Plants. A Standard Reference CRC Press. 2nd Ed. p 441
World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
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