Hymenaea intermedia
Ducke
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What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit aril
The fruit aril is edible. A powdery texture. The fruit is an oblong pod (legume), 5 - 15cm long and 3 -5cm wide, containing 3 - 4 large seeds which are surrounded by a dry, whitish-yellow edible pulp.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant.
Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, South America, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A tropical tree in the Fabaceae family with an edible fruit aril.
How to Grow
Although many species within the family Fabaceae have a symbiotic relationship with soil bacteria, this species is said to be devoid of such a relationship and therefore does not fix atmospheric nitrogen.
Other Uses
The roots and trunk yield a pale yellow or red resin-like gum known commercially as 'South American copal'. The gum obtained from tapping the trunk is soft and considered to be of lower quality - it is used mainly for medicinal purposes. The best quality gum is quite old - it is found in hard lumps that have become buried in the soil at the base of a tree or at the site of a dead tree. A minor source of the gum (it is obtained mainly from Hymenaea courbaril), it can be used in making varnishes but also for incense and local medicines. The copal is also used for patent leather, as an adhesive for crockery and in stains for tin ware. The heartwood can vary from purple-brown or orangey-brown to a red brown with slight veining; it is clearly demarcated from the 3 - 12cm wide band of sapwood. The texture is medium; the grain straight or interlocked; there are slight internal stresses. The wood is very heavy; very hard; elastic; durable, even in contact with the soil, being resistant to fungi, dry wood borers and termites. It seasons normally, with only a slight risk of checking and distortion; once dry it is moderately stable to stable in service. The wood has a fairly high blunting effect, stellite-tipped and tungsten carbide tools are recommended; nailing and screwing are good, but require pre-boring; gluing is correct for interior use only, but needs to be done with care because of the density of the wood. The wood has a wide range of applications, including for high class furniture, cabinet making, construction, heavy duty flooring, ship building, carving, turnery, tool handles etc.
Names & Synonyms
Jatoba, Jatoba-curuba
References (3)
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 428
- Lopez-Diago, D. & Garcia, N., 2021, Wild edible fruits of Colombia. Biota ColomBiana 22 (2) p 37
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
