Brazilian Monkey Pot, Paradise nut
Lecythis pisonis

Family: Lecythidaceae

What it is like

A large tree. It grows 30-40 m tall. The leaves are pink when young. The leaves fall during the year. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 12-24 cm long. The flowers occur in very large numbers. They are small and rose-purple. The fruit is woody like a Brazil nut fruit. It contains several large seeds. There are 14-40 seeds per fruit. The fruit ripen over 11-12 months. The fruit then split open spilling the seed on the ground.

There are 26 Lecythis species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows naturally in the rainforests of Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Asia, Australia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Central America, Colombia, Cuba, Guyana, Indonesia, Jamaica, Malaysia, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico, SE Asia, South America (country/location of origin), Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used for food

The seeds are eaten raw or cooked. They are shelled and eaten raw or roasted or boiled.

It is a popular nut. It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Nuts, seeds

How it is grown

The plants are grown from seed. The fruit are harvested when ripe. They can be ripened in the sun. Fresh seed should be planted. They germinate in 40-70 days.

It is difficult to collect the seeds as the pods split open dropping the seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Cacamba-do-mato, Castana de monte, Cream nut, Cumbuca-de-macaco, Cumbuca-de-macaco, Monkey pot, Nuez del paraiso, Pohon kacang kepayang, Sapucaia do amapa, Sapucaia, Sapucaia-vermelha, Sapucaiha

Synonyms

Couroupita crenulata Miers; Lecythis amapaensis Ledoux; Lecythis amazonum Mart. ex O. Berg; Lecythis crenulata Miers; Lecythis urnigera Mart. ex O.Berg.; Lecythis usitata Miers; Lecythis densa Miers; Lecythis sphaeroides Miers; Lecythis paraensis Huber; and others