Sapucaia-mirim
Lecythis lanceolata

Family: Lecythidaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 12-28 m high. The crown is round and dense. The trunk is upright and 50-70 cm across. The bark is thick and has deep cracks along it. The leaves have wavy edges. They are 3-9 cm long and 2-5 cm wide. The leaf stalks are 5-10 cm long and hairy. The flowers are in groups below the leaves. The flowering groups are 8-16 cm long. There are 2-25 flowers that are red. The fruit is hard and has a cap. It is 20 cm long by 20 cm wide and has 4-12 seeds. The aril is white.

There are 26 Lecythis species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forests near the Atlantic in Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Africa, Brazil (country/location of origin), Guiana, Mauritius, Puerto Rico, South America, West Indies

How it is used for food

The nuts are eaten fresh.

The nuts are not particularly popular.

Edible parts

Seeds, nuts, seeds - oil

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are put in the sun to open then the seeds planted fresh. Seeds germinate in 5-7 weeks. Seedlings are transplanted in 7-8 months.

Its other names

Local names

Sapucaia-miuda, Sapucaia, Sapucaua-branca, Sapucaiu

Synonyms

Lecythis biserrata Miers; Lecythis coxiana Miers; Lecythis lacunosa Miers; Lecythis limbata Miers; Lecythis madagascariensis Vahl. ex R. Knuth; Lecythis miersii Pamp.; Lecythis minor Vell.; Lecythis ollaria Sald.; Lecythis platyzone O. Berg.; Lecythis pohlii O. Berg.; Lecythis tuberculata Miers; Lecythis variolata Miers; Lecythis vasiformis Miers;