Acioa edulis


Acioa edulis, syn. Couepia edulis Prance, is a fruit and timber tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae, which is native to the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. The tree's Portuguese common name is Castanha-de-cutia. The tree grows naturally only within a small area of Brazil; however, they proliferate widely within this area. The tree is around tall, with entire leaves that are oval or round, measuring diameter, with a petiole up to long. Its fruit ranges from long and diameter. and contain a single nut. Later these nuts float on the waters and have been collected for centuries as the source of a valuable oil, but their source was unknown until 1978 when botanical explorer Ghillean Prance discovered the species of tree which produces them.

Cultivation

The fruit is edible or can be pressed to extract oil used in cooking or soap making. The kernel is also edible.