Bourreria succulenta

Jacq.

Pigeon wood strong bark, Currant tree

Boraginaceae Edible: Fruit 1,687 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Bourreria succulenta is a species of flowering plant in the family Ehretiaceae. It is a tree native to Caribbean islands including Cuba, Hispaniola, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the Lesser Antilles, and to Florida, southern Mexico, and northern Venezuela. It is known by several synonyms, including Bourreria baccata and B. velutina. Common names include cherry, currant tree, poisonberry, chink, and bodywood.

Description

A shrub or tree. It grows 6 m high. The flowers are in clusters. The fruit are shiny and orange. They are the size of a pea. The flesh is sweet and succulent.

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. Pulpy, sweet and succulent. The saffron to orange coloured fruit is about the size of a pea.

Traditional Uses

The fruit pulp is eate raw.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Distribution

A tropical plant. It can tolerate drought.

Where It Grows

Anguilla, Belize, Central America, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Curacao, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Mexico, North America, Panama, Puerto Rico, South America, St. Kitts and Nevis, USA, Venezuela, West Indies,

Cultivation

The plant can flower and produce fruit nearly all year round.

Other Uses

The light brown wood is hard. It is generally too small to be used for anything other than fuel.

Production

It is slow growing.

Notes

There are 30 Bourreria species.

Synonyms

Bourreria recurva MiersCordia bourreria L. ppEhretia bourreria

Also Known As

Bahamas strongbark, Bodywood, Watakali, Watakeli, Watakeri

References (8)

Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 62
Grandtner, M. M., 2008, World Dictionary of Trees. Wood and Forest Science Department. Laval University, Quebec, Qc Canada. (Internet database http://www.WDT.QC.ca)
Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 112
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 139
Plants of Haiti Smithsonian Institute http://botany.si.edu/antilles/West Indies

Show all 8 references

Rathcke B.J., 2001, Pollination and Predation Limit Fruit Set in a Shrub, Bourreria succulenta (Boraginaceae) after Hurricanes on San Saldavor Island, Bahamas. Biotropica 33(2): 330-338
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 62