Saurauia kegeliana
Schltdl.
Kegel saurauia
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Carlos G Velazco-Macias, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Carlos G Velazco-Macias
iNaturalist· cc-by-nc
(c) Carlos G Velazco-Macias, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
Description
A tree. It grows 15-25 m tall. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are oval and 9-20 cm long by 4-8 cm wide. The flowers are in the axils of the leaves towards the end of the branches. The flowers are white and 2-3 cm across. The fruit are about 9 cm across. They are round and green when ripe. The seeds are small.
Edible Uses
Fruit - raw. The fruit is very juicy and sweet; its pulp, which looks much like the white of an egg, is good to eat. The globose fruit is about 10mm in diameter.
Traditional Uses
The pulp of the fruit is eaten raw.
This uses section is brief — help expand it
Distribution
It is a tropical plant. It grows between 600-2,300 m altitude in Central America.
Where It Grows
Belize, Central America, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, North America,
Cultivation
A plant of the moist tropics, found at higher elevations of 550 metres and above.
Other Uses
We have no information on the wood of this species, but the following is a general description of the wood from species in this genus. The wood is little used, except locally for fuel. It is a pale reddish brown throughout; not attractive; lustre rather low; odourless and tasteless; rather light, but firm, tough, and strong; texture medium; grain straight; easy to cut, saws finely woolly, is rather hairy under the plane; probably not durable. Useful locally for general carpentry and interior construction.
Other Information
The fruit is edible but not highly popular.
Synonyms
Also Known As
Alais, Durazmillo, Maxbal, Moco
References (7)
- Chizmar Fernandez, C., et al, 2009, Plantas comestibles de Centroamerica. Instituto de Biodiversidad, Costa Rica. p 18
- de Polle, E., Plantas Silvestres Comestible de Guatemala. 1(1) Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala.
- Gonzalez-Espinosa, M. et al, 2011, The Red List of Mexican Cloud Forest Trees. Flora and Fauna International, Cambridge. p 14
- 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)
- Hellmuth, N. M., 2011, Maya Ethnobotany. Complete Inventory of plants. Associacion FLAAR Mesoamerica. Tenth edition.
Show all 7 references Hide references
- Segura, S. et al, 2018, The edible fruit species in Mexico. Genet Resour Crop Evol (2018) 65:1767–1793
- Turreira-Garcia, N., et al, 2015, Wild edible plant knowledge, distribution and transmission: a case study of the Achi Mayans of Guatemala. Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine. 11:52
