Guianas mouriri
Mouriri guianensis

Family: Melastomataceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 4-9 m high. The crown is rounded, dense and low. The branches almost touch the ground. The trunk is short and 15-25 cm across. The leaves are simple and opposite. The blades are narrowly oval and taper to the tip. They are 3-9 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The flowers are in groups in the axils of the leaves. They can be white, red or yellow. The fruit is a round, red, smooth berry. It has a sweet pulp and 1-3 seeds.

They have also been put in the family Memecylaceae.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows on the flood plain in the Amazon.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana (country/location of origin), Guianas, Guyana, Peru, South America, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

The trees are occasionally cultivated for their fruit.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

The plants are grown from seeds. The seeds are collected from ripe fruit by putting the fruit in a plastic bag to allow them to partly decompose and the seeds are washed under running water. The seeds should be planted fresh. They are best with light shade. The seedlings emerge in 40-50 days.

The plant grows slowly.

Its other names

Local names

Carara, Creoli, Cruiri, Gurguri, Llave, Mamuriballi, Muriri, Pomikie, Roncador, Sipili-oudou, Spijkerhout, Spikrie hoedoe, Topi, Topie, Wilde kers, Yokoro

Synonyms

Eugenia brachybotrya DC.; Mouriri polyantha Miquel; Mouriri ulei Pilger; Mouriri weddellii Naudin; Myrtus umbellata Desvaux ex Hamilton; Petaloma mouriri Swartz;