Chupa, Chupo, Chopeira
Gustavia speciosa

Family: Lecythidaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 10-20 m tall. The crown is dense and oval. The trunk is 30-40 cm across. The leaves are narrowly oval. They are 2-44 cm long by 6-10 cm wide. The flowers usually have 4 rounded lobes. The fruit are round and 4-6 cm across. They are yellow. They contain 1-4 seeds in a fleshy yellow pulp.

There are 40 Gustavia species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows on the flood plain in humid forest in Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Australia, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Ecuador, Nicaragua, Peru, South America

How it is used for food

CAUTION: The fruit affects the colour of the skin. The flesh of the fruit is eaten raw or cooked with meat and rice.

It is a cultivated fruit crop. Fruit are sold in markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, nuts

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. They are collected from ripe fruit. The fruit are often allowed to rot in a heap of put in a plastic bag to make it easy to remove the flesh off the seeds. The seeds are washed then planted fresh. They are best put in light shade. Seedlings emerge in 20-35 days.

Plants grow at a moderate rate.

Its other names

Local names

Paco

Synonyms

Eschweilera cincta Cuatrec; Gustavia occidentalis Cuatrec; Japarandiba speciosa (Kunth) Kuntze; Pirigara speciosa Kunth.;