Lacmellea utilis
(Arn.) Markgr..
Cow tree
Field Museum of Natural History - Botany Department
What to Eat
Edible parts: Latex, Fruit
The sweet latex from the bark is edible and used as a milk substitute in tea and coffee. The fruit is also eaten and has a rich flavour.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in the moist lowland tropics. It grows in swamp forest. It grows up to about 600 m above sea level.
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, South America, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A tree. It grows 8-10 m tall. The trunk does not have spines. It has lots of latex. The leaf stalk is about 1 cm long. The leaves are 6-8 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The base is wedge shaped and they taper to the tip. The flowering shoots have 15 flowers. The fruit is a round berry. It is shiny and yellow when ripe.
How to Grow
Plants can be grown from seeds.
Medicinal Uses
The latex is traditionally used as a milk substitute.
Production
In Guyana plants flower in September and produce fruit in May.
References (5)
- Allorge-Boiteau, L., Flora of the Guianas. 140 Apocynaceae p 116
- Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 340
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- van Roosmalen, M.G.M., 1985, Fruits of the Guianan Flora. Utrecht Univ. & Wageningen Univ. p 27
