Simarouba versicolor

Family: Simaroubaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 5-11 m tall. The crown is round. The trunk is short and 30-60 cm across. The bark is thick and fibrous with cracks along it. The leaves are compound with leaflets along the stalk. The leaves are alternate. There are 5-7 leaflets with the central vein easily visible. The leaves are 8-16 cm long on leaf stalks 4-6 cm long. The leaflets are 3-9 cm long and 2-3 cm wide. The flowers are in a compound group at the ends of the branches. These are 25-35 cm long. The fruit is oval and fleshy. There is one seed.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant.

Countries/locations it is found in

Bolivia, Brazil, South America

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Ripe fruit are harvested and put in plastc bags until they soften then the seeds are removed. The fresh seed are planted and germinate in 4-6 weeks Seedlings can be planted in the field after 6-7 months.

Plants grow at a moderate rate.

Its other names

Local names

Caiceta, Caraiba, Mata-cachorro, Mata-menino, Paparauba, Paraiba, Pau-caixeta, Pau-paraiba, Perdiz, Pe-de-perdiz, Pitombeira-de-marajo, Simaruba-do-brasil

Synonyms

Quassia versicolor (A. St.-Hil.) Noot.;