Coco Plum, Paradise Plum
Chrysobalanus icaco

Family: Chrysobalanaceae

What it is like

Coco Plum or Chysobalanus icaco is a widely cultivated food plant commonly found near sea beaches and inland. It is a small evergreen tree or a shrub that grows up to 6 m tall. It has long, flexible branches, green, leathery leaves, and small greenish white flowers that form into erect clusters in the leave axils. It can also be grown as a hedge and it is propagated by seeds or woody stem cuttings. Medicinally, it is used internally against dysentery, dyspepsia, and diarrhoea and externally against various skin conditions. The purple or red, sweet fruit is consumed raw or cooked into jams and jellies. The seed can be eaten raw also or roasted. It yields edible oil. Both fruits and leaves, on the other hand, yield black dye.

Chrysobalanus icaco is an evergreen Tree growing to 6 m (19ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a slow rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. It is noted for attracting wildlife. 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 and can grow in very acid and saline soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

Height (m): 6

Where it is found

Forests near the shore line. Coastal shoreline and sandy thickets. Usually found where the soil is moist or flooded.

S. America from Brazil, north to the Caribbean, Mexico and southern Florida. West tropical Africa - coastal areas from Senegal to Angola.

Conservation Status: Status: Vulnerable A1c

Countries/locations it is found in

Found In: Africa, Amazon, Angola, Asia, Australia, Bahamas, Belize, Benin, Bermuda, Brazil, Cameroon, Caribbean, Central Africa, Central America, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, C™te d'Ivoire, Cuba, Dominican Republic, East Africa, Ecuador, El Salvador, Fiji, French Guiana, Gabon, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guatemala, Guianas, Guinea, GuinŽe, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Hawaii, Honduras, India, Indochina, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Liberia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, North America, Pacific, Panama, Philippines, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, Senegal, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, South America, St Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, USA, Venezuela, Vietnam, West Africa, West Indies.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 4

Edible portion: Fruit, Kernel, Seeds, Nut. Fruit - raw or cooked. A fairly sweet, white, spongy flesh. They are stewed in sugar, dried like prunes or made into jams and jellies. The ovoid fruit is 2 - 5cm long. The purple or red-skinned fruits are considered to have a superior flavour to white forms. Seed - raw or cooked. A delicious flavour. They are roasted and eaten. When preserving the fruits, they are pierced right through the centre, including the seed. This allows the juice of the fruit to penetrate the seed and, after separation from the shell, the nut-like kernel is eaten. An edible oil can be extracted from the seed.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The root, bark, fruit and leaves all contain tannins and are astringent. They are used internally in the treatment of diarrhoea, dysentery and dyspepsia. They are used externally as a wash to treat skin complaints. The juice of the roots and leaves, mixed with oil, is used to contract the sphincters of the vulva by women wishing to simulate virginity, and the same preparation is used by men for treating flaccid scrotum.

Antidiarrhoeal: Provides symptomatic relief for diarrhoea. Also see Astringent.

Astringent: Produces contraction in living tissue, reducing the flow of secretions and discharges of blood, mucus, diarrhoea etc.

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

Skin: Plants used in miscellaneous treatments for the skin.

Other

Rating: 3

Other uses rating: Medium (3/5). Seaside tree, Backyard tree, Screening, Hedging, Dune stabilization, Planter, Topiary, Xerophytic, Border, Espalier, Pollard, Planted as an ornamental shrub. Agroforestry Uses: Plants can be grown as a hedge. They are particularly well suited for use by the sea. The plant often forms large, rambling, impenetrable thickets and so it has been used to stabilize sand dunes. Other Uses: An oil can be obtained from the seed The seeds are so rich in oil that they can be strung on sticks and burnt like a candle. The bark is rich in tannins. A black dye can be obtained from the fruit. A black dye can be obtained from the leaves.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Hedge: Plants that can be grown as hedges.

Lighting: Plants that can be used as torches etc. See also Oil and Wax.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Soil stabilization: Plants that can be grown in places such as sand dunes in order to prevent erosion by wind, water or other agents.

Tannin: An astringent substance obtaied from plants, it is used medicinally, as a dye and mordant, stabilizer in pesticide etc.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

Regional Crop: These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.

Staple Crop: Protein-oil: (16+ percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Annuals include soybeans, peanuts, sunflower seeds. Perennials include seeds, beans, nuts, and fruits such as almond, Brazil nut, pistachio, walnut, hazel, and safou.

Agroforestry Services: Living fence: Simply managed rows of shrubs and trees.

Management: Standard: Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.

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

Espalier: A tree or other plant that is trained to grow flat against a support (such as a trellis or wall).

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

Hedge: Hedge

How it is grown

A plant for the humid lowland tropics. Prefers a position in full sun or light shade. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil. Plants can succeed in both poor and fertile soils. Requires a well-drained soil. Established plants are very drought tolerant. Very tolerant of salt-laden winds. Plants have escaped from cultivation and become naturalized in some areas. There is at least one named form. Plants usually flower in two or more flushes per year, and can flower intermittently throughout the year.

Propagating it: 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 20 - 25 days. When the seedlings are 4 - 5cm tall, pot them up into individual containers and they should be ready to plant out 6 - 7 months later. Soft nodal cuttings. Woody stem cuttings, Layering.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Slow

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

Shade: Semi-shade, no shade

Moisture: Moist

Things to keep in mind

May be weedy

Its other names

Local names

Coco Plum or Chysobalanus icaco. Other Names: Icaco plum, Bopace, Cocoaplum, Ebenga, Ebenha, Enhapitche, Hicaco, Man du'a

Synonyms

Chrysobalanus atacorensis A.Chev. Chrysobalanus chariensis A.Chev. Chrysobalanus ellipticus Sol. ex

Coco Plum, Paradise Plum Chrysobalanus icaco