Oiti-coro, Rusty couepia
Couepia rufa

Family: Chrysobalanaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 8-30 m high. The crown is pyramid shaped. The branches hang down slightly. The trunk is cylinder shaped and 40-50 cm across. The leaves are simple. They are 6-16 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. The flowers are in groups at the ends of branches. The fruit is fleshy and has one oily seed.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in the central Amazon.

Countries/locations it is found in

America, Brazil, South America

How it is used for food

The fruit pulp is eaten raw. The nut is eaten.

The tree is cultivated for its edible nuts. The fruit are sold in markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, nuts

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. The seed are collected from ripe fruit off the tree. They are put in plastic bags to make it easier to remove the pulp by allowing them to partly rot then washing.

In Brazil it flowers Sept. to December.

Its other names

Local names

Coro de pernambuco, Oiti-coro, Oiti-mirim

Synonyms

Pleragina rufa Arruda da Camara ex Koster; Moquila rufa Barbosa Rodriques; Couepia glazioviana Pilger;