Spondias tuberosa

Spondias tuberosa, commonly known as imbu, Portuguese pronunciation: [ũˈbu], [ĩˈbu] Brazil plum, or umbu, is a plant native to northeast Brazil, where it grows in the Caatinga, the chaparral scrub that grows wild across dry lands. The round fruit is light yellow to red, around 2–4 cm in size, and has a leathery shell. The flesh is soft and juicy, with a sweet taste and distinct aroma. The fruit comes from a small tree, seldom higher than 6 m, with an expansive crown that can reach 10 m in diameter. The fruit of the imbu are round and can be of varying size: they can be as small as cherries or as large as lemons. The peel is smooth and green or yellow when the fruit ripen, the small firm fruits are juicy and flavorful and their succulent flesh hides a large dark pit.

Description

A medium sized tree. It grows 4-7 m high. It is low and spreading. It has a short trunk that can be 40-60 cm across. The bark is smooth and grey. The root system has its own water and starch reservoir. The leaves are compound and divided into leaflets along the stalk. There are 3-7 thin leaflets. These are 6-10 cm long. The flowers are in an open panicle at the ends of the branches. They are white and have a smell. The fruit is medium sized and sweet. The fruit are about 2.5-3.5 cm long. They are in clusters of 3-4. The fruit are round and fleshy with a stone inside. The seeds is brown.

Edible Uses

The fruit can be eaten raw or cooked. The greenish-yellow, thick-skinned fruit has soft, almost liquid flesh with a pleasant subacid flavour suggestive of sweet orange. It is used to make ice creams, jams, jellies, and drinks. In northern Brazil, a custard-like dessert called imbuzada is made by adding the fruit juice to boiled sweet milk. The yellow-green, globose fruit is about 4cm in diameter and contains a single large seed.

Traditional Uses

The fruit is used fresh or cooked. The very ripe fruit are eaten. They are used for jams and jellies. It is often made into drinks and especially mixed with milk to make imbuzada. The bulb like roots are eaten cooked.

Medicinal Uses

None known

Distribution

A tropical plant. It suits the hot tropical lowlands. It grows in semi-arid regions in Brazil. It can tolerate drought but loses its leaves.

Where It Grows

Australia, Brazil*, Central America, Cuba, Honduras, Puerto Rico, South America, West Indies,

Cultivation

A plant of the 'Caatinga' dry forest region of northeast Brazil. The climate is hot and dry, there are usually 6 to 11 months without rain each year. The mean annual rainfall varies from 250 - 1,000mm, and the mean annual temperature is from 24 - 26°c. The plant grows best in the subhumid and frost-free tropics. Grows well in areas with a prolonged dry period. Requires a sunny position. Plants are not too fussy over soil, not needing very fertile conditions. However, very poor soil, or shallow land, is unsuitable. Established plants are very tolerant of dry conditions, able to withstand extended periods of drought. The plant can store starch and water in special storage organs in the roots, known as 'tuberous aquifers'. This makes it able to withstand very long periods of drought. A pH in the range 6 - 7 is ideal. A slow growing tree. Flowering Time: Late Winter/Early Spring. Spacing: White/Near White.

Propagation

Seed is best sown as soon as ripe in a sunny position in individual containers. Germination is usually fast and abundant. The plant can also be grown from quite large cuttings.

Other Uses

The wood is light in weight, soft, easy to work, and of low natural durability. It is used for internal work, crates, and boxes, and as pulp for paper-making.

Production

Tree growth is slow. Fruit are normally harvested after they fall to the ground.

Other Information

Fruit are sold in markets. It is cultivated.

Notes

Chemical composition (sap expressed from bulbs rendered 50% of the pulp): pH = 6.8. Glucose = 0.66%. Ascorbic acid = 13.2mg%. Thiamine = 30mcg%. Riboflavin: negative. Moisture = 93.3%. Protein = 0.45%. Starch = trace. Minerals = 0.96%. Fiber (crude) = 5.29%. Ash = CaO = 13.5% (0.130% in pulp). Fe2O3 = 0.13% (0.0013% in pulp). It has antioxidant properties.

Nutrition

Synonyms

Also Known As

Ambu, Cajazinho, Giqui, Imbu, Imbuzeiro, Ombuzeiro, Tapereba, Umbuzeiro

References (37)

• Brazil: Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition. http://www.b4fn.org/countries/brazil/
• Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 2 (I-Z) p 2105
• Bussmann, R. W., (Ed.), 2020, Biodiverse food plants in the semiarid region of Brazil have unknown potential: A systematic review. Plos ONE 15(5): e0230936
• Cruz, M. P., et al, 2014, Local perceptions and consumption of native wild edible plants from seasonal dry forests in Brazil. Journal or Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine 10:45
• DE CASTRO

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