Goupia glabra

Goupia glabra (goupie or kabukalli; syn. G. paraensis, G. tomentosa) is a species of flowering plant in the family Goupiaceae (formerly treated in the family Celastraceae). It is native to tropical South America, in northern Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, and Venezuela. Other names include Saino, Sapino (Colombia), Kopi (Surinam), Kabukalli (Guyana), Goupi, bois-caca (French Guiana), Pasisi (Wayampi language), Pasis (Palikur language), Kopi (Businenge language), Cupiuba (Brazil), yãpi mamo hi (Yanomami language), Venezuela.

Description

A tropical tree in the Goupiaceae family (sometimes placed in Celastraceae) bearing dark red to black fruit.

This description is brief — help expand it

Edible Uses

The fruit are eaten.

Medicinal Uses

The bark is used for soothing a toothache, and is also applied externally to treat chickenpox and eczema. The juice from the fresh inner bark is applied to cotton wool and inserted in an aching tooth cavity as an excellent dental analgesic. A decoction of the bark is drunk as a treatment for malaria. A cold water infusion of the bark is drunk as a vermifuge. The sap of the inner bark is drunk as a vermifuge. A decoction of the leaves is used as a wash to treat headache and fever. The leaves are used in an astringent decoction to treat syphilis. The crushed leaves yield a juice that is used to treat eye inflammations.

Distribution

It is a tropical plant.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Guianas, Panama, South America,

Cultivation

Succeeds in full sun to moderate shade. Found in the wild on well-drained soils that can be clayey to sandy. Established plants are drought tolerant.

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A moderate germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 21 - 28 days.

Other Uses

The heartwood is a light reddish or yellowish brown, darkening superficially upon exposure; it is distinctly, but not sharply, demarcated from the 3 - 8cm wide band of brownish or pinkish sapwood. The lustre is medium to rather high; the texture medium to coarse; the grain straight to interlocked; the odour is foetid when fresh but dissipates somewhat upon drying, though it is still apparent. The wood is very hard, heavy, tough, strong, and very resistant to decay when above ground. It seasons slowly, with a high risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is poorly stable in service. It has a fairly high blunting effect and is moderately difficult to work, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but pre-boring is required to avoid splits; gluing is correct for interior use only; it takes a good polish, though the interlocked grain means that a careful sanding is necessary and a filler is sometimes needed in order to obtain a smooth finish. The wood has a range of applications, being used for purposes such as making furniture, railway sleepers, heavy carpentry, construction, poles, fence posts, boat building, flooring, street paving blocks etc.

Notes

Also put in the family Celastraceae.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Cupiuba, Cupuba, Cutiuba

References (2)

• 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 397
• Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 91 ? (As Goupia polyandra query - not in The Plant List)