Sombra-de-touro
Acanthosyris spinescens

Family: Santalaceae

What it is like

A shrub or small tree. It grows 5 m tall. There are prickles along the stem. The leaves are twice divided and there are 8-18 pairs of pinnae. There are up to 50 pairs of pinnules on each pinnae. The flowers are yellow. They are in large clusters at the ends of branches. The pods are flattened.

There are 3 Acanthosyris species. They occur in temperate South America.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows naturally in grasslands in Brazil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Argentina, Brazil (country/location of origin), South America, Uruguay

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw.

The fruit are not very popular.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. For collecting seeds the ripe fruit are put into plastic bags to partly decompose then the seeds are washed out under running water. Seeds need to be planted fresh. Seedlings emerge in 60-80 days.

Plants grow slowly.

Its other names

Local names

Quebracho, Quebrachillo, Quebrachoflojo, Sombra-de-touro

Synonyms

Osyris spinescens Mart. & Eichler; Acanthosyris platensis Speg.;