Micrandra sprucei
(Mull.Arg.) R. E. Schult.
The New York Botanical Garden
The New York Botanical Garden
MBG
What to Eat
Edible parts: Seeds, Caution
Seed - cooked. The seeds are poisonous raw and need careful preparation to render them safe to eat. They are boiled and then washed several times to leech out the toxic compounds, after which they are broken up by hand. A paste resembling cream-cheese in appearance and taste can be prepared from them. Alternatively, the damp mash can be gently toasted on a flat plate over the fire and reduced to a fine greyish white meal which is made into casabe or unleavened bread
Known Hazards
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. It grows in Caatinga on well-drained sandy soils. The climate in hot and dry often with 6-11 months without rain. The average annual rainfall is 250-1,000 mm and the average temperature from 24-26°C.
Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, South America, Venezuela,
How to Identify
An evergreen tropical tree from the hot, dry Caatinga region of Brazil with well-drained sandy soils and 6-11 months without rain annually.
How to Grow
A plant of the 'Caatinga' dry forest region of northeast Brazil. The climate is hot and dry, there are usually 6 to 11 months without rain each year. The mean annual rainfall varies from 250 - 1,000mm, and the mean annual temperature is from 24 - 26°c. Found on well-drained, sandy soils in the wild.
Other Uses
A quantity of oil is collected from the seed when they are boiled in water. A very bitter flavour, it is burned in lamps to provide illumination.
Names & Synonyms
References (3)
- Fern, K., 2012, Tropical Species Database http://theferns.info/tropical/
- Kew Plants of the World On line
- Reis, S. V. and Lipp, F. L., 1982, New Plant Sources for Drugs and Foods from the New York Botanical Garden herbarium. Harvard. p 160
