Biriba
Eschweilera ovata

Family: Lecythidaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 4-19 m high. The crown is a pyramid shape. The trunk is 40-60 cm across. The bark is thick and has cracks along its length. The leaves have 8-10 pairs of side veins. The leaves are 5-14 cm long and 3-6 cm wide. They are on leaf stalks 5-10 cm long. The flowers are in the axils of leaves or at the ends of the branches. The flowering groups are 3-12 cm long. They are yellow and white. The flowers have a scent. The fruit have 1-4 seeds with stripes on them. They have a yellow aril on the side.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in Brazil in the western Amazon region.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, South America

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Seeds, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and put in the shade to dry and open. The fresh seeds are planted and germinate in 4-5 weeks.

The plant grows at a moderate rate.

Its other names

Local names

Biriba-branca, Biriba-preta, Ibiraba, Imbiriba, Sapucainha, Tauarisinho

Synonyms

Chytroma ibiriba Miers; Eschweilera acuminata (O. Berg.) Miers; Eschweilera blanchetiana O. Berg.; Eschweilera gracilis Miers; Eschweilera laurifolia (O. Berg.) Miers; Eschweilera luschnathii (O. Berg.) Miers; Eschweilera siberiana (O. Berg.) Miers; Lecythis blanchetiana O. Berg.; Lecythis idatimon DC. ex Berg.; Lecythis luschnathii O. Berg.; Lecythis odoratissima Saltz. ex Miers; Lecythis ovata Cambess; Lecythis siberiana O. Berg.; Lecythis verrucosa Hoffm. ex O. Berg.;