Pouteria venosa

What to Eat

Edible parts: Fruit

Many species, such as Pouteria sapota, have edible fruits and are important foods, seasonally. Some are being commercially collected and sold on local markets or packed in cans. Pouteria species yield hard, heavy, resilient woods used as firewood and timber, but particularly in outdoor and naval construction, such as dock pilings, deckings, etc. Some species, such as abiu (P. caimito), are considered to be shipworm resistant, but this depends on the silica content, which may vary from 0.0-0.9%. The weight by volume (at 12% moisture content) of Pouteria wood can be in excess of 1140 kg/m3 (71 lb/ft3; thus, the wood sinks in water. The wood of Pouteria species is prone to considerable movement and warping when it dries out, but in its main use, naval construction, this is not a problem, since the wood never gets really dry. The vessel elements are relatively small and usually di- to quadriseriate; the medullary rays are fine and close together. Pouteria woods are capable of attaining an excellent polish using fine-grained sandpaper and possibly some wax. They can sometimes show an attractive figure of dark stripes against a sandy to mid-brown background colour. However, the wood is hardly used for furniture because it is so dense that items made from it would be difficult to transport. Moreover, it is nearly impossible to work using hand tools. Even using power tools, working these woods presents some problems, as well, but given some patience and practical knowledge, these can easily be solved. For the silica to be effective against shipworms, it needs to dry to some degree to harden. When the wood is continually waterlogged, this process may take place very slowly or not at all, leaving the wood vulnerable. Pouteria foliage is used as food by some Lepidoptera caterpillars, including those of the dalcerid moth Dalcera abrasa, which has been recorded on P. ramiflora. The fruits are important food for various animals, such as the rock-haunting ringtail possum (Petropseudes dahli). Due to habitat loss and in some cases overexploitation, many species of Pouteria are threatened. At least 10 are close to extinction.

Where to Find It

It is a tropical plant. It grows in rainforest up to 1,200 m above sea level.

Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guianas, Peru, South America, Venezuela,

How to Identify

A tree. It grows 40 m tall. The trunk is 65 cm across. The young shoots have pale brown hairs. The leaves are in loose clusters and arranged in spirals. They are 7-21 cm long by 2-8 cm wide. They are broadly sword shaped. The flowers are in groups of 1-6 and in the axils of leaves or below the leaves. The fruit are 2-8 cm long. They are a flattened round shape. There are 1-3 seeds.

How to Grow

Grows best in a moist soil in dappled shade. Prefers a clayey, fertile, well-drained soil in the wild.

Propagation: Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a nursery seedbed in semi-shade. The seed germinates in 6 - 9 weeks, but less than 50% germinate.

Medicinal Uses

The bark is astringent. A decoction is used as a treatment for diarrhoea. The seeds are analgesic, cardiac. They are chewed or grated, placed in cold water, and drunk in order to relieve pains in the chest and heart and to prevent fluttering of the heart. The grated seeds are soaked in water overnight and drunk as a treatment for heartburn. The grated fruits are boiled with water and drunk as an antidiarrhoeal.

Other Uses

The wood is heavy, hard, straight-grained, of fine to medium texture. It has a good, natural resistance to insects and is quite durable. It is used for construction, railway ties, fencing etc.

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