Cryptocarya alba
(Molina) Looser
Peumo, White cryptocarya
(c) Diego Almendras G., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Diego Almendras G., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Diego Almendras G., some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Nuts, Fruit, Kernels
The plant produces red berries known as peumos, which are edible. They have pink skin, a strong flavour and aroma when ripe, and a large seed resembling a nut. These characteristics have led to their recent use in cooking.
Where to Find It
It is a temperate plant. In Chile it grows between 500-2,000 m altitude. It grows in water or with its roots attached in water. It grows on the edges of rivers and lakes. It grows in full sun. It can tolerate some shade. It suits hardiness zone 8. It can tolerate some frost and snow.
Argentina, Chile*, South America,
How to Identify
An evergreen tree. It grows 15 m high. The flowers are green. The fruit are 1-2 cm long by 1 cm wide. The fruit are green. They turn red when ripe. There is one large seed.
How to Grow
It can be grown by seeds.
Propagation: Sow seed directly outdoors in autumn. Scarify seed before sowing. The peumos contain large, heavy seeds that germinate readily.
Medicinal Uses
Peumo leaves have been used in traditional medicine as an infusion and as an ointment. The pink berries have been collected and consumed by the Mapuche Amerindians, mainly as a cold infusion, since pre-Columbian times.
Other Uses
The wood is very hard and resistant to moisture. The bark is used for tanning leather and for dyeing materials an orange colour. The tree is valued as an ornamental and for its fruit production, and is also grown as a shade tree. Its leaves are strongly scented.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Cryptocarya alba, the peumo or Chilean acorn, is an evergreen tree that grows in Chile and Argentina from 33 to 40° southern latitude. It can live both in wet and in dry conditions. Its distribution can reach up to 1500 meters (5000 ft) above sea level. It measures up to 20 meters (65 ft) height and one meter diameter, with cracked gray bark. An associate tree is the endangered Chilean Wine Palm, Jubaea chilensis, which species prehistorically had a much wider range.
Notes
There are about 350 Cryptocarya species. They grow in tropical and subtropical regions. It has free radical scavenging activity.
Names & Synonyms
Pengu, Peumu, Peunu
References (19)
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- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 279
- Leon-Lobos, P., et al, 2022, Patterns of Traditional and Modern Uses of Wild Edible Native Plants of Chile: Challenges and Future Perspectives. Plants (Basel) v 11 (6) Table S1
- Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 97
- Martin, J. S. & Villagra M. M., 2013, Productos forestales no madereros de la Region del Maule. p 17
- Menninger, E.A., 1977, Edible Nuts of the World. Horticultural Books. Florida p 10 (As Cryptocarya peumus)
- Rapoport, E. H. & Ladio, A. H., 1999, Plantas comestibles. Bosque Volume 20 No. 2. ISSN 0314-8799
- Schmeda-Hirschmann, G., et al, 1999, Proximate Composition and Biological Activity of Food Plants gathered by Chilean Amerindians. Economic Botany Vol. 53. No. 2. pp. 177-187
- Simirgiotis, M. J., 2013, Antioxidant Capacity and HPLC-DAD-MS Profiling of Chilean Peumo (Cryptocarya alba) Fruits and Comparison with German Peumo (Crataegus monogyna) from Southern Chile. Molecules 2013, 18, 2061-2080
- Syst. laur. 222. 1836 (As Cryptocarya peumus)
- Velasquez, P. & Montenegro, G., 2017, Chilean Endemic/Native Plant Resources as Functional and Superfoods. Chp. 6 in Superfood and Functional Food - An Overview of Their Processing and Utilization
- Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 138
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
- www.chileflora.com
