Acid ambelania
Ambelania acida

Family: Apocynaceae

What it is like

A small evergreen tree. It grows 4-8 m high. It can be 30 m tall. The trunk is 15-20 cm across. The bark is thick and produces latex. The branches occur opposite. The leaves are simple and opposite. They are 15-24 cm long. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves. They are 3-4 cm long. There are 2-10 tube shaped flowers in a group. They are white or cream. The fruit is an oblong berry. It is 10-12 cm long and 4 cm wide. There are many dark seeds.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in northern estuaries in the Amazon in Brazil. It grows in dry forests.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Brazil (country/location of origin), Colombia, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw or cooked. For raw fruit they are beaten or scratched, and put in cold water to remove the latex. They can be cooked and eaten as a vegetable. They can also be used for jams and jellies.

The fruit are enjoyed.

Edible parts

Fruit, vegetable

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and put into a plastic bag to decompose to make it easier to remove the seeds. They are washed in running water. Fresh seed are planted and germinate in 30-50 days.

In Guyana plants flower August to October and fruit in August to November.

Its other names

Local names

Bagasse, Balati, Batibati, Makouro, Makulira, Makurriro, Mambali, Mambaye, Mapa, Papaye-bich, Paraveris, Pau-de-colher, Pepino-do-mato, Pubo, Quienbiendent

Synonyms

Ambelania cucumerina Miers; Ambelania sagotii Mull. Arg.; Ambelania tenuiflora Mull. Arg.; Ambelania tenuiflora var. tenuiramea Mull. Arg.; Willughbeia acida (Aubl.) J.F. Gmel.;