Eugenia copacabanensis
Kiaersk.
Copacabana guava
(c) Diego Monsores, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Diego Monsores
(c) Henry Miller Alexandre, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Henry Miller Alexandre
(c) Diego Monsores, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Diego Monsores
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit
Fruit - raw. A thick, orange, fleshy, succulent pulp with a sweetish but not very pleasant flavour. The fruits are up to 4cm in diameter.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows on the coastal banks in Brazil.
Brazil*, South America,
How to Identify
An evergreen tree. It grows 4-7 m tall. The crown is low and dense. The leaves are oval and taper to the tip. They are papery and smooth on both surfaces. Young leaves are reddish. The leaves are 4-8 cm long. The flowers are in groups in the axils of leaves. There are 3-7 white flowers. The fruit are round and orange coloured. The pulp is thick and orange. There are 2 white seeds that are easily separated from the pulp.
How to Grow
Plants are grown from seed. The seeds are collected from ripe fruit and the pulp removed. Seeds need to be planted fresh. They are best in light shade. Seedlings emerge over 6 months.
Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A germination rate of around 70% can be expected, with the seed taking more than 6 months to sprout.
Other Uses
The wood is of average texture, straight-grained, moderately heavy, hard, slightly susceptible to wood-eating organisms. Because of its small dimensions, it is only used for fuel and to make charcoal.
Production
Plants grow slowly.
Other Information
The fruit are not very popular.
Names & Synonyms
Bapuana, Cambui-amarelo-grande
References (3)
- Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 195
- Lorenzi, H., 2009, Brazilian Trees. A Guide to the Identification and Cultivation of Brazilian Native Trees. Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. Vol. 3 p 244
- www.colecionandofrutas.org
