Silky poraqueiba
Poraqueiba sericea

Family: Icacinaceae

What it is like

An evergreen tree. It grows 10-25 m high. The trunk can be 60 cm across. The branches are large. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 12-28 cm long. The flowers are small and in the axils of leaves. The fruit is fleshy with a hard stone inside. The fruit is 8 cm long by 5 cm across.

The fruit pulp is rich in oil (12%) and starch.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in regions with 1,700 mm of rain per year. It grows naturally in dryland forest in Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Brazil (country/location of origin), Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The fleshy fruit are rich in oil and are edible. Flour is produced from the seeds. The seed oil is used to fry fish. The leaves are used to make a herbal tea.

It is a cultivated food plant. It is widely grown in the Amazon. The fruit are sold in markets in the Amazon.

Edible parts

Fruit, starch, seeds - oil, leaves - tea

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Ripe fruit are harvested and put into a heap until they soften then the seeds are removed. Fresh seeds are planted and germinate in 4-6 weeks.

Plants grow at a moderate rate.

Its other names

Local names

Caniba, Capibare, Guacure, Humari, Ja-o. Llori, Mari, Mari-preto, Umari, Umari-roxo, Yumari, Yuri

Synonyms

Poraquieba acuminata Tul.;