Casearia decandra

Jacq.

Pipewood, Wild honey tree

Salicaceae Edible: Fruit, Aril Potential hazards — see below 275 iNaturalist observations

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Description

A tree. It grows 4-10 m high. It can be 18 m tall. It loses its leaves during the year. The leaves are thin and papery. They are 5-10 cm long and smooth on both surfaces. The leaf stalk is 4-6 cm long. The flowers are grouped in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are yellow and they have a scent. The fruit are round capsules. They are about 1 cm across. They contain several seeds. The aril or layer around the seeds is yellow or orange. The pulp is sweet and edible.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. Almost tasteless. Very sweet according to another report, and pleasantly flavoured. The fruit is a capsule containing a number of seeds wrapped in a sticky, fleshy pulp that has a sweet taste. The fruits are up to 1cm in diameter.

Traditional Uses

The aril or fleshy layer around the seed is eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The aril is consumed for food purposes.

Known Hazards

The fruit is a capsute containing several seeds. Although the capsule of some species (and possibly also the seeds contained therein) is somewhat toxic, the fleshy aril surrounding the seeds is a different matter and in some species (see information below on edibility to see if this is one of them) is often eaten and is considered to be perfectly wholesome.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in a range of forest types throughout Brazil from sea level to 100 m altitude. In the Guianas it grows to 1,000 m altitude.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Argentina, Brazil*, Central America*, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Grenadines, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Haiti, Lesser Antilles*, Martinique, Mexico, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, South America*, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela, Virgin Islands, West Indies*,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as ripe. Sow in a sunny position in a nursery bed. Seed normally germinates in 3 - 4 weeks, less than 50% normally germinating. Around 90% of seed sown as soon as it was ripe had germinated within 7 days in one trial.

Other Uses

The leaves and the flowers contain essential oils. The light brown wood is moderately heavy, hard, straight-grained and with a fine texture. It is not very durable, especially when exposed to the weather. It is used for making light utensils, fence posts, toys and boxes. The wood is used for fuel and to make charcoal.

Other Information

It is not widely appreciated

Notes

There are 160-180 Casearia species. They are mostly in South America. 75 occur in tropical America. They have also been put in the plant family Flacourtiaceae.

Synonyms

Anavinga parvifolia Lam.Casearia adamantium Cambess.Casearia adstringens Mart.Casearia albicaulis RusbyCasearia floribunda Briq.Casearia nitida Sieber ex Griseb.Casearia parviflora Jacq.Casearia parvifolia Willd.Casearia parvifolia var. microcarpa EggersCasearia parvifolia var. paraguariensis Briq.Casearia pavoniana SleumerCasearia reflexa SleumerCasearia samyda auct. non DC.Casearia serrulata Sieber ex Griseb. non Sw.Casearia ulmifolia auct. non VahlChaetocrater reflexum Ruiz & Pav.Guidonia adstringens (Mart.) Baill.Guidonia parvifolia (Willd.) M.GómezSamyda lancifolia Sessé & Moc.Samyda parviflora auct. non L.Samyda parviflora Loefl. ex L.Samyda parvifolia Poir.

Also Known As

Burro ka'a, Cambroe, Canela-de-veado, Cerezo, Cerito, Guacatonga, Huesillo, Pitumba, Pururuca

References (17)

Altschul, S.V.R., 1973, Drugs and Foods from Little-known Plants. Notes in Harvard University Herbaria. Harvard Univ. Press. Massachusetts. no. 2945
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 88 (As Casearia parvifolia)
Brack, P., et al, 2020, Frutas nativas do Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil: riqueza e potencial alimentício. Native fruits of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: richness and potential as food. Rodriguésia 71: e03102018
Ekman Herbarium records Haiti
Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 105

Show all 17 references

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 195
Kinupp, V. F., 2007, Plantas alimenticias nao-convencionais da regiao metropolitana de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil p 97
Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 50
Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 290
Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 95 (As Casearia parviflora)
NYBG herbarium "edible"
Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies
Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 193
Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
Smith, N., Mori, S.A., et al, 2004, Flowering Plants of the Neotropics. Princeton. p 159
van Roosmalen, M.G.M., 1985, Fruits of the Guianan Flora. Utrecht Univ. & Wageningen Univ. p 128
www.colecionandofrutas.org