Ucuqui
Pouteria ucuqui

Family: Sapotaceae

What it is like

A tree. It grows 35 m high. The trunk can be 100 cm across. There can be buttresses 2 m high. The young shoots have fine rusty brown hairs. The bark is dark brown and cracked and scaly. The leaves are spaced. They are arranged in spirals. The leaves are 10-20 cm long by 5.6-9.2 cm wide. They are broadly oval. There are 9-14 pairs of veins. The leaf stalk is 2.5-5 cm long. There are many flowers in a tuft in the axils of leaves and below the leaves. The flowers are greenish-yellow. They have a strong scent. The flowers contain one sex. Both sexes may be on the same tree. The fruit is 10-11 cm long by 7.5-8 cm wide. The fruit have a hard skin and are yellow. They have soft white flesh. There are 1-2 seeds. These are 7-8 cm long.

There are about 150-320 Pouteria species. They grow in the tropics.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in hillside forests along river valleys. It grows on well drained soil. It occur below 250 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The ripe fruit are eaten raw.

It is an important local seasonal food.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Hinirji, Kajaec, Kaja-gai, Oo-lo-da, Quidna, Tucuru, Tukuru, Ukuki, Yuco, Yucu, Yuu

Synonyms

Gymnoluma ucuqui (Pierre & Schultes) Baehni; Piresodendron ucuqui (Pires & Schultes) Aubreville;