Couepia bracteosa
Bentham
Pajura
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(c) Nelson Wisnik, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Nelson Wisnik
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Nelson Wisnik, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Nelson Wisnik, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Summary
Source: WikipediaCouepia bracteosa, also known by the common name pajurá, is a tree found in the Amazon. Its fruits are used as a food source in rural South America, especially in Brazil. Commons names include Aruadan, Coro, Marirana, Oiti, Olosapo, Pajura de mata, Pajura-de-racha, and Pajura-verdadeiro.
Description
An evergreen tree. It grows 20 m tall. The crown is dense and narrow. The leaves are simple and leathery. They are dark green and shiny on top and greyish-brown and dusty underneath. They are 20-34 cm long on stalks 1-2 cm long. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves and at the ends of branches. The flowers are small, white and uneven. The fruit are oval and fleshy. There is a large seed. The skin is thin and the pulp is thick. The fruit have a high oil content.
Edible Uses
The fruit is eaten raw. It has a thick, aromatic, oily pulp with a thin skin and a sweet, pleasant flavour. The fruit is up to 13cm long and 10cm wide.
Traditional Uses
The fruit are eaten fresh.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Medicinal Uses
None known
Distribution
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in tropical dryland forest in the Amazon in Brazil.
Where It Grows
Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil*, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela,
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. The seeds are collected from very ripe fruit that have the pulp washed out. The seeds should be planted fresh. Seeds can take several weeks to emerge.
Propagation
Seed is best sown as soon as it is ripe in individual containers in partial shade. Germination rates are usually low, with seeds taking several weeks to sprout. Seeds should be collected from very ripe fruit with the pulp washed off and planted fresh.
Other Uses
The wood is heavy, difficult to work, very durable, and only slightly susceptible to wood-eating organisms. It is used for external carpentry.
Other Information
It is a cultivated fruit tree. They are popular.
Notes
There are 71 Couepia species. They are all in tropical America.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Aruadan, Coro, Marirana, Oiti, Olosapo, Pajura de mata, Pajura-de-racha, Pajura-verdadeiro
References (14)
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 164
- Hermandez Bermejo, J.E., and Leon, J. (Eds.), 1994, Neglected Crops. 1492 from a different perspective. FAO Plant Production and Protection Series No 26. FAO, Rome. p15 (As Couepia bracteata)
- J. Bot. (Hooker) 2:215. 1840
- 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 268
- Kew Plants of the World onLine
Show all 14 references Hide references
- Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 120
- Lorenzi, H., 2009, Brazilian Trees. A Guide to the Identification and Cultivation of Brazilian Native Trees. Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. Vol. 3 p 77
- Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 91
- Paz, F. S., et al, 2021, Edible Fruit Plant Species in the Amazon Forest Rely Mostly on Bees and Beetles as Pollinators. Journal of Economic Entomology, XX(XX), 2021, 1–13
- Prance, G. T., 1972, Chrysobalanaceae in Flora Neotropica Vol. 9 Hafner. p 227
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 107
- 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 102
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
