Barca, Milk Tree, Couba, Sorva, Sorva grande
Couma macrocarpa

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

Other common names are Milk Tree, Couba, Sorva, Sorva Grande, Leche Caspi, Leche Huayo, Aso, Fransoco, and Wansoka. Native to Central and South America, Barca or Couma macrocarpa is a large tropical tree up to 40 m tall with oval leaves in groups of three. The flowers are small. The bark is thick and dark-coloured. The stem yields edible and sweet latex which can also be used in the treatment of amoebiasis and in making chewing gum. The globose, yellow-green fruit is eaten raw. It has sweet and succulent pulp. Infusion of leaves is used as a beverage. The latex is known as glutta-percha and has a wide range of uses like as insulating material for electricity wiring, or moulded into ornate furniture, pistol grips, etc. Further, it is used as the core of golf ball and in modern dentistry. The wood is used for interior millwork, general construction, furniture components, fibreboard, boxes, and crates. Amazon, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela. Also known as: Leche caspi, Leche huayo, Aso, Fransoco, Wansoka, sorva, cow tree.

Couma macrocarpa is an evergreen Tree growing to 25 m (82ft) by 25 m (82ft) at a medium rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil.

Height (m): 25

Where it is found

Low wet mixed forest, or often seen in cleared pastures, at or a little above sea level. A climax tree of the rainforest, found mainly on well-drained sites in upland areas of the Amazon.

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana; C. America - Panama to Guatemala.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Caribbean, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

When the bark is cut or broken, there issues from it a rich creamy latex that is sweet and palatable. It is not very sticky and may be drunk like cow's milk. A latex obtained from the trunk can be used to make chewing gum. Fruit - raw. The succulent pulp is sweet and extremely glutinous. It contains latex. The globose, yellow-green fruit is about 6cm in diameter, containing a few seeds. An infusion of the leaves is used as a beverage.

Sap: usually of trees and usually but not always used as a drink.

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Gum: can be chewed as a chewing gum or can often be used as a sweetener or thickening agent in foods.

Milk: made from plants, that is.

Tea: the various herb teas that can be used in place of tea, plus the genuine article.

Medicine

Rating: 2

A latex in the stems can be used in the treatment of amoebiasis, including amoebic dysentery.

Dysentery: Used in treating dysentery - an infection of the intestines that causes diarrhoea containing blood or mucus.

Other

Rating: 3

Other Uses: A latex exudes from the cut or broken bark. When boiled in water it gives a product similar to gutta-percha that can be used for caulking canoes. Gutta-percha is a natural latex obtained from the sap of the tree. Allowing this fluid to evaporate and coagulate in the sun produces a hard and durable latex that can be made flexible again with hot water, but which does not become brittle. Prior to the advent of synthetic materials, gutta-percha had a wide range of uses - most particularly as an insulating material for electricity wiring and for underwater telegraph wires, a purpose for which it is very well suited since it is bio-inert and so is not attacked by marine plants or animals. Gutta-percha can be moulded into any shape and has been used to make items such as ornate furniture, pistol grips, acid-resistant receptacles and 'mourning' jewellery, where its dark colour was an advantage. It has been widely used as the core of golf balls and is still used in modern dentistry where its bio-inertness makes it ideal as a temporary filling for teeth and as a filling material inside tooth fillings. The heartwood is cream-coloured or pale brown, often with a pinkish tinge; there is no sharp demarcation from the sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain fairly straight to inter- locked; lustre rather low to medium; odour and taste not distinctive. The wood is light in weight; moderately hard; natural durability is low and the wood is prone to attacks by blue-stain fungi. It is easy to both air dry and kiln dry, with little or no degradation due to warping or checking. The wood is easy to work with all tools, however, there is some difficulty to generate smooth surfaces on quarter-sawn stock due to the interlocked grain; it is easy to nail and screw, and generally finishes well. The wood is used for interior millwork, general construction, furniture components, veneer for plywood, particleboard and fiberboard, boxes and crates.

Containers: Plants, such as gourds, that can be used as containers. Does not include baskets or containers made from wood.

Furniture: A few miscellaneous uses that do not fit easily into other headings.

Gum: Gums have a wide range of uses, especially as stabilizers, emulsifiers, thickening agents, adhesives etc.

Insulation: Providing insulation against extremes of temperature, sound or electricity.

Latex: A source of rubber.

Teeth: Plants used to clean and care for the teeth.

Waterproofing: Does what it says. See also Pitch and Oil.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Experimental Crop: Plant breeders are testing these plants to see if they could be domesticated for cultivation, but they are still in an experimental phase. Examples include milkweed and leafy spurge.

Industrial Crop: Hydrocarbon: Materials, chemicals and energy include bioplastics, rubber, biomass products gasoline, jet fuel, diesel, butane, propane, biogas. Plants are usually resprouting plants and saps.

Management: Coppice: Cut to the ground repeatedly - resprouting vigorously. Non-destructive management systems maintaining the soil organic carbon.

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Coppice: A traditional method of woodland management which exploits the capacity of many species of trees to put out new shoots from their stump or roots if cut down.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A tree of the lowland humid tropics. Prefers a shady position. A popular fruit.

Propagating it: Seed - of short viability, it should be sown as soon as it is ripe in a shady position in a nursery seedbed or in individual containers. A germination rate in excess of 70% can be expected, with the seeds sprouting within 25 - 35 days.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Medium

Soil: Light (sandy), medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

Handling plant may cause skin irritation or allergic reaction

Its other names

Local names

Other common names are Milk Tree, Couba, Sorva, Sorva Grande, Leche Caspi, Leche Huayo, Aso, Fransoco, and Wansoka. Also known as: cow tree.

Synonyms

Couma capiron Pittier Couma caurensis Pittier Couma guatemalensis Standl. Couma sapida Pittier

Barca, Milk Tree, Couba, Sorva, Sorva grande Couma macrocarpa