Pouteria torta
(Martius) Radlkofer
Curiola, Twisted pouteria
(c) Bayardo Alberto González Ñamendy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Bayardo Alberto González Ñamendy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Bayardo Alberto González Ñamendy, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - raw or used in beverages and preserves. A thick, gelatinous pulp with a slightly sweet flavour. Very tasty.The ovoid fruits are about 5cm long and 4cm in diameter.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in wet tropical rainforests in Brazil. It is often near swamps and river banks. It grows in lowlands and uplands.
Amazon, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil*, Central America, Colombia*, Costa Rica, Ecuador*, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, South America*,
How to Identify
A small to medium sized tree. It grows up to 10 m high. It can be 40 m tall. The crown is round and the trunk is grooved. The trunk is short and 30-40 cm across. The leaves are leathery. They are in groups at the tips of the stems. The leaves are 20-25 cm long. The flowers are small and red. The fruit are small and egg shaped. They are 3-7 cm across. The skin is green to brown and the flesh is soft and white.
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and put in a heap to allow the flesh to rot. The seeds are washed out with running water. The seeds are only viable for a very short time. Fresh seed should be planted. They germinate in 25-50 days.
Propagation: Seed - it has a very short viability in storage and so is best sown as soon as it is ripe in individual pots. Germination usually occurs in 3 - 7 weeks, the germination rate is above 80% if the seed is sown fresh.
Other Uses
The wood is moderately heavy, hard, difficult to saw. It has a long durability if it is protected from humidity. It is used for construction, cabinet making and internal carpentry. A fast-growing tree that is tolerant of full sun and supplies a food appreciated by humans and many other species, this tree could be very useful in a mixed planting for restoring native woodland and also for establishing woodland gardens.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Pouteria torta is a species of tree native to Central and South America. It is found largely in the Brazilian cerrado and is commonly called guapeva and grão-de-galo.
Production
Plants grow quickly in the field. The fruit are picked off the ground during the rainy season.
Other Information
It is a cultivated fruit tree.
Notes
There are about 150-320 Pouteria species. They grow in the tropics.
Names & Synonyms
Abiu pilosa, Avio de monte, Grao-de-galo, Jaija'onasotoa, Laranjinha, Ontogamo, Pe'su toa, Piaste, Quinilla negra
References (18)
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