Andiroba, Guianas crabwood
Carapa guianensis

Family: Meliaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 30 m tall. It can have buttresses. The trunk can be 60-90 cm across. The leaves are alternate and the leaflets are opposite.

The oil from the seeds is used as an anti-inflammatory medicine in the Amazon.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in seasonally flooded forests.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Grenada, Guadeloupe, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Leeward Is., Martinique, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, South America, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies, Winward Is.

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Medicine, fruit

How it is grown

Plants flower August to October and produce fruit January to April.

Its other names

Local names

Acajou, Acuju, Andiroba, Aray, Bateo, Cabirma de Guiana, Camacari, Caobilla, Carapa rouge, Carapai, Cedro bateo, Cedro giino, Cedro macho, Figueroa, Guino, Karaba, Masabalo, Mazabolo, Najesi, Nazasi, Requia, Saba, Tanca obiala, Tangara, Tangarillo, Yandiroba

Synonyms

Amapa guianensis (Aubl.) Steud.; Carapa latifolia Willd. ex C. DC [Invalid]; Carapa macrocarpa Ducke; Granatum guianense (Aubl.) Kuntze; Guarea mucronulata C. DC.; Persoonia guareoides Willd.; Xylocarpus carapa Spreng.;