Parinari campestris

Parinari campestris is a species of tree in the plant family Chrysobalanaceae which is native to Trinidad, the Guianas, Venezuela and Brazil. It is reputed to have aphrodisiac properties.

Description

A tree. It grows 25 m tall. It can have thick buttresses. The trunk is 12-15 m long. The twigs are covered with brown hairs when young. The leaves are alternate. The leaf blades are leathery and oval. They are 6-13 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. They are dull above and hairy underneath. The flowering shoots are at the ends of branches or in the axils of leaves. They are covered with brown hairs. The flowers have 5 white petals. The fruit is small, oval and yellow. It is 4-6 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. It contains a single seed or occasionally two.

Edible Uses

Parinari campestris is one of several species including Richeria grandis and Roupala montana which known by the common name bois bandé. These species are reputed to have aphrodisiac properties. The species is also used ritually in winti, an Afro-Surinamese religion. Extracts from P. campestris leaves have been shown to inhibit the interaction between Vascular endothelial growth factor A and Vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 1.

Traditional Uses

The fruit are eaten.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

Thee thick, brown indumentum (coat of hairs) on the stem is mixed with sweet oil and then applied as a poultice to hasten expulsion of filaria worms from an infected leg.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in rainforest and savannah. It can be on ridges in marsh forest.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Guianas, Guyana, South America, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela,

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed.

Other Uses

The heartwood is light brown, not clearly defined and somewhat darker than the sapwood, which is about 40mm wide. The lustre is medium; the grain usually straight, sometimes slightly interlocked; the texture fine. The wood contains a high amount of silica. The wood is difficult to machine because of its high density and high silica content, dulling cutting edges rapidly. Smooth surfaces can be obtained in planing, boring and sawing operations if tools are properly maintained. Takes only a fair polish. Nails poorly -pre-boring necessary to prevent splitting. Turns badly. Resistant to marine borers and insect attack. The wood is useful for marine constructions.

Notes

There are about 50 Parinari species. They grow in the tropics.

Synonyms

Also Known As

Barada, Boehoerada, Boehoeroedoe, Bohowada, Bohowoda, Bois-bande, Bois-baude, Bohorada, Burada, Buhurada, Dauro-cocimo, Foengoe, Hoengoeti, Fongoupaou, Fongouti, Foungouti, Gaulette blanc, Gris gris blanc, Guaray, Koepensienoe, Kopesienoe, Kupisini, Mahaicaballi, Makarai, Merecurillo, Oiti, Pajura, Pasa, Pasita, Redi-foengoe, Tajamama, Vonkhout, Wamuk, Wamuku

References (10)

• FAO, 1995, Edible Nuts. Non Wood Forest Products 5.
• Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 481
• Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 464
• Johnson, M. and Colquhoun, A., 1996, Preliminary Ethnobotanical Survey of Kurupukari: An Amerindian Settlement of Central Guyana. Economic Botany, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 182-194
• 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 606

More from Chrysobalanaceae

Hirtella longipedicellata

Hirtella pilosissima

Hirtella racemosa

Hirtella tentaculata

Hirtella triandra

Camaroncillo

Hirtella zanzibarica subsp. megacarpa