Piquia-oil plant, Souari nut, Broadleaved Lucuma
Caryocar brasiliense
Family: Caryocaraceae
What it is like
A medium sized tree. It grows 6-10 m tall. The trunk is twisted. The trunk is 20-30 cm across. The leaves are alternate. The leaves are made up of 3 leaflets. The leaflets are not equal on each half of the leaf. They are hairy. The flowers occur as 5-15 together. The fruit is green. The fruit is 4-5 cm across. It has 1-4 stones (nuts) covered by a yellow pulp. The surface of the fruit/nut is covered with very small spines and these have to be avoided. There are 2 subspecies.
The Caryocaraceae occur in tropical America. There are 16 Caryocar species. It is an excellent source of Vitamin A. It has antioxidant properties.
Where it is found
A tropical plant. They grow naturally in the hot scrub land in North Brazil.
Countries/locations it is found in
Amazon, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Paraguay, South America
How it is used for food
The pulp of the fruit is chewed raw. They are also cooked. The nut is chewed raw. The fruit is eaten fresh or used for sweets and liqueur. The fleshy covered pit or stone is cooked with rice to add flavour to the rice.
It is a cultivated fruit tree.
Edible parts
Fruit, nuts, oil
How it is grown
Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and allowed to open in the sun. The pits are dried. They can only be stored for a short time. The fresh pits with seeds inside are soaked in water for 48 hours changing the water every 12 hours. The seed germinate in 30-50 days.
Trees grow slowly. A tree can be 1.5 m tall after 2 years. One tree can provide several thousand fruit each year.
Its other names
Local names
Amendoa-de-espinho, Brazilian souari nut, Choky apple, Grao-de-cavalo, Pequerim, Pequi, Pequia-pedra, Pequia, Piqui, Piquia-bravo, Piquia, Prin, Suari