Piquia
Caryocar villosum

Family: Caryocaraceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows to 20-40-50 m high. The trunk is 1-2.5 m across. The leaves have long leaf stalks. The leaves are compound with leaflets that are hairy on the upper surface. The leaflets are 6-12 cm long. The flowers occur in a cluster. The fruit are an irregular round shape. The outside is spiny. The fruit are 4-5 cm across. There are 1-2 white, oily seeds inside.

The Caryocaraceae occur in tropical America. There are 16 Caryocar species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in areas with 1700-2500 mm annual rainfall. It grows in dryland forest in the Amazon.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Guiana, Malaysia, Peru, SE Asia, South America (country/location of origin), Venezuela

How it is used for food

Seeds used to extract oil. The oil is used in cooking. The nut is eaten. Both the fruit and seeds contain edible oil. The fruit pulp is eaten fresh but usually after cooking. It is boiled in salted water. Caution: The seeds have rigid spines that must be avoided.

Fruit are sold in markets.

Edible parts

Kernel, seeds, nuts, fruit, oil

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested from the tree or off the ground and the seeds are removed and dried in the sun. The seeds are in the pits and the pits are soaked in water fro 48 hours changing the water every 12 hours. They are then planted and grow in 30-60 days.

Plants grow slowly.

Its other names

Local names

Almendro, Amendoa de aspinho, Arbre a beurre, Bats suari, Pekea, Pequia, Petia, Piquia, Piqui, Ruamahi, Villous caryocar, Vinagreira

Synonyms

Caryocar butyrosum (Aublet) Willdenow; Caryocar villosum var. aesculifolium Wittmack; Caryocar villosum var. macrophyllum Wittmack; Pekea butyrosa Aublet; Pekea villosa (Aublet) Poiret; Rhizobolus butyrosus (Aublet) J. F. Gmelin; Saouari villosa Aublet;