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Other Names: Swarri Nut, Piqui, Pekia, Butter-nut of Guinea
Related To:
[Malpighiales] - Order - Distant affinity to Manihot (manihot esculenta) Passion Flower (passiflora edulis), and Coca (erthroxylum coca)
Main Uses:
Nut is used for food, and cooking oil known as "pequi oil."
Growth Rate:
Moderate
Mature Height/Spread:
Can achieve 30+ feet at maturity, though it is often shorter.
Flowering/Pollination:
Flowers are five-petaled, white, and in appearance they resemble guava (psidium)flowers. Flowers occur during September-November.
Tolerance:
Little tolerance for salt. Good tolerance for drought, as the species is native to Brazilian grasslands.
Soil/Nutrition:
Likes a rich soil, but is highly tolerant of nutrient-poor heavy clays. It will grow satisfactorily and produce fruit in deficient soils.
Light:
Shade to full sun.
Wind:
Sturdy tree with a deep taproot, highly tolerant of strong wind.
Temperature:
Harmed by consistent temperatures below 40 F.
Dangers:
The surface of the nut bears tiny spines that may injure the unfamiliar or careless eater of the yellow flesh. These are not generally a problem, provided the eater is aware of them.
Diseases Prone:
Unknown.
Bearing Age:
5-7 years from seed.
Fruit:
Fruit is baseball-softball sized, oblong, globose and dehiscent, containing 1-4 woody nuts which are surrounded by a yellow, fragrant, edible pulp. The oily pulp is sweet, and though the odor is agreeable, it is generally considered an acquired taste. The woody endocarp is cracked open with some difficulty, and for this reason the nut is sometimes ignored altogether. Ripeness is determined simply by harvesting freshly fallen fruit, as ripeness is nearly impossible to determine when the fruit are picked from the tree. Fruit is used soon after harvest, as their monounsaturated fatty acid content makes them prone to spoiling. It is said that a single mature can yield 2000 fruits in a season.
History/Origin:
The latin designation "nuciferum" means 'nut-bearing' referring to the species' primary use by humans. The caryocar lineage appears to have begun in eastern Amazonia. 15 species within the genus Caryocar have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or "sawarri" nuts, and 8 or so of these species also have an edible and oily mesocarp, making them a substantial source of calories. The caryocar species are not cultivated fruits, as they are rather plentiful in the wild from where they are harvested in their various native regions. The most widely distributed species is the Souari-nut (caryocar nuciferum). In Brazil the Pequi (caryocar brasiliense) is most popular and used almost exclusively. These nuts have several of uses, both as fresh eating as well as oil.
Species Observations:
There are several species of caryoca with edible nuts - each is utilized humans to some extent in the regions in which it occurs naturally. These are some of the predominant species.
Souari Nut : Caryocar nucifera,
The common and predominant species widely distributed throughout the Amazon.
Pequi Nut : Caryocar brasilense,
A species found in the regions of Mato Graso and Sal Palo, occurring in almost pure groves in many areas.
Piquiarana :Caryocar microcarpum,
A species found in the Para, Amazonas, and Ampa regions, in seasonally flooded jungles.
Pekia : Caryocar villosum,
found throughout dry regions of the Amazon.
Pekia : Caryocar coriaceum,
A species whose range is restricted to the Chapado do Araripe region in Brazil.
Pequia : Caryocar amygdaliferum, A species which is found in the Choco region of Colombia and Panama.
Propogation:
Almost exclusively by seed, as the nuts are gathered in the wild.
Container Culture:
Can be grown in a container, but this is not ideal.
Medicinal Uses:
The sap of some caryocar species have been used by indigenous Amazonian peoples as ingredients in poisons for hunting wild game. The yellow fleshy mesocarp has been used as a staple in the diet to treat ophthalmological problems, having a relatively high concentration of antioxidant caroteoids. The leaves of many caryocar species exhibit a topical
Nutritional Information:
The yellow mesocarp is 20-27% oil (49% monounsaturated oleic acid, and 49% saturated palmitic acid). The pigmentation of the mesocarp is due to high concentrations of vitamin A (mainly beta-carotene) as well as lycopene, lutine, and zeaxanthine.
Preparation / Food:
Fruit is eaten out of hand, and the nuts are cracked for thier white, meaty kernels. The kernel is also pressed to yield a fine and mild cooking oil, which is extracted by crushing the fruits and boiling them. The mesocarp is grated off and used in various types of cooking. It is also mixed with alcohol and sugar to make a "piqui" flavored liquor.
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"Tree is in fine shape and budding! Packing was exceptional. Thank you so much!"
- Satisfied Customer 1
"WOW, Plant is 10X better than expected. Great condition. Thank you very much."
- Satisfied Customer 2
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