Dipteryx alata | |
---|---|
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Fabales |
Family: | Fabaceae |
Subfamily: | Faboideae |
Genus: | Dipteryx |
Species: | D. alata |
Binomial name | |
Dipteryx alata | |
Synonyms | |
Dipteryx alata is a large, undomesticated, edible nut-bearing tree from dryish tropical lowlands in central South America belonging to the legume family, Fabaceae, from the Dipterygeae tribe in the Faboideae subfamily. [3] It is a wild species, widespread across the Cerrado savanna in South America. [4] The baru nut seed is a grain legume, growing in popularity in North America as a snack food. [5]
It is known in Spanish as almendro (almond) in Santa Cruz department in southern Bolivia, [6] almendrillo in Pando in northern Bolivia, and shihuahuaco in the Department of Madre de Dios in southern Peru. In both these last two regions it shares the same name with Dipteryx micrantha . Both tree species are also known as mawi in the Ese Eja language spoken there. [7]
The common name baru appears to be the most used in Brazilian Portuguese. [8] [9] [10] [11] A long list of other names used in Brazil have been recorded; some of these names are barujo, [8] coco-feijão, [9] cumaruna, [8] cumarurana, [9] cumbaru, [8] [9] emburena-brava [9] feijão-coco [8] [9] and imburana-brava. [8] A number of names, such as cumaru [8] [9] and pau-cumaru, [8] are shared with the closely related Amazonian D. odorata, the tonka bean or cumaru tree, due to the similarity of the two trees.[ citation needed ] Harri Lorenzi complied most of these names in 1992, culled from the herbarium sheets he had collected, and the names can be traced to specific regions. [8]
The German botanist Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel named the species alata, which means "winged" [12] and refers to the winged petiole of the leaves. As a legume, this tree belongs to the botanical family Fabaceae; [13] this is also known as Leguminosae, and commonly known as the bean, or pea, family. [14] The Dipterygeae tribe is an early branching of the Faboideae subfamily of the legumes, dating ~58 million years and preceding staple legumes such as soybeans, peas or peanuts by ~10 million years. It is quite distant from other less-known legumes such as Inga , Parkia , Tylosema , or tamarinds). [15] [16]
The tree can measure up to 25 m in height and 0.7 m in diameter. [17]
It has compound leaves with 6 to 14 leaflets. The greenish-white flowers are 6 to 15mm in diameter. [18]
The form of the fruit (a bean pod) is ovoid and contains a juicy flesh within. [18] The fruit has an average weight of 25g and average dimensions of 52.40 ± 4.48mm for length, and 38.31 ± 4.05 mm for width. [10] Of these:
It is native to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru. [6] [9] [18] [19] [20] [21]
Bolivia: It has been recorded in northwestern Bolivia in the province of Abel Iturralde (in northern La Paz Department) [21] and Madre de Dios [7] (in Pando Department), [6] and in southeastern Bolivia in the provinces of Andrés Ibáñez, Chiquitos, Germán Busch, Ichilo, Ñuflo de Chávez, Sara and José Miguel de Velasco (all in Santa Cruz Department). It grows in the tropical savannah of the Chiquitania region. [21] It grows in Noel Kempff Mercado National Park, [6] and is thought to grow in Madidi National Park. [22]
Brazil: It can be found in suitable habitat throughout much of central and western Brazil. [9] [20] [18] [21] It occurs in the north in the states of Pará [18] and Tocantins, [18] in the west in Acre, [21] Amazonas [21] and Rondônia, [18] [21] in the northeast in Bahia, [18] Maranhão, [8] [18] Piauí [18] and possibly Ceará, [18] in the central-west in Distrito Federal, [18] [21] Goiás, [18] [21] Mato Grosso [8] [18] [21] and Mato Grosso do Sul [8] [18] [21] and in the southeast in Minas Gerais, [8] [18] [21] Paraná [8] [21] and the Atlantic coast of São Paulo. [8] [9] [18] According to Siqueira et al. (1992) it is almost extinct in the wild in these last two states, but found almost exclusively planted ex situ. [8]
Paraguay: It has been recorded from central eastern Paraguay in the departments of Amambay [19] [23] and Concepción. [19]
Peru: It has been recorded in Peru in the departments of Huánuco (Pachitea Province), Loreto (Maynas and Ucayali provinces) and Madre de Dios (Tambopata Province). [24]
Of all the species of Dipteryx this species has the most southerly distribution and is the only one which grows in regions with marked seasons. [8]
It is found in the Amazon, Caatinga and central Brazilian savannah (called Cerrado in Brazil) phytogeographical regions. It grows mostly in the vegetative associations of Cerrado, [25] but also in tropical riverine and/or gallery forests, seasonally semi-deciduous tropical forests and Amazonian savannahs. [18]
It grows in areas with soil of low fertility in northern Bolivia, [7] but in Goiás it is typical for Cerrado areas with more soil fertility, where it occurs in a uniform manner. It may reliably be used as an indicator species of such conditions (Macedo, 1992), not occurring where the fertility is naturally very low. [8]
Unlike most legumes, baru trees harbor no symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in root nodules and in fact depend on fixing nitrogen from water tables with their deep roots. [26]
A tree will produce about 150 kg of fruit per harvest in alternating years, being pollinated by native bees. The fruits are a food source for birds and small mammals, such as rodents, bats, and monkeys. [17] [27]
It is used as lumber, for charcoal production and for shade in pastures, by the indigenous peoples of its range. The fruits are often used as feed for cattle. The seeds are a nutritious part of the local communities' diet. [28] [29] [30]
According to Alexiades some among the Ese Eja people, which have recently started using the hallucinogenic drug ayahuasca, see visions of concrete houses under the influence of this drug, which according to a source interviewed by Alexiades represents a tree of this species. Alexiades theorises that this tree is to be considered a "teacher plant" in the new ayahuasca shamanism that the Ese Eja have adopted and that it, in specific, and trees in general, represents the "future". [7]
Uses for the fruit can be summarized as: [11]
Part of the Fruit | Product/Sub-Product | Uses |
---|---|---|
Pulp | Pulp in natura | Human food |
Animal food | ||
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Dehydrated Pulp | Human food | |
Animal food | ||
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Flour | Human food | |
Alcohol/Liqueur | Human consumption | |
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Cosmetics | ||
Industrial | ||
Residues | Farming (organic fertilizer) | |
Seed | Raw Seed | Human food |
Animal food | ||
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Agricultural (seeding) | ||
Roasted Seed | Human Food | |
Flour | Human Food | |
Milk | Human Food | |
Oil | Human food | |
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Cosmetics | ||
Industrial | ||
Cake | Human food | |
Medicinal/Pharmaceutical | ||
Cosmetics | ||
Industrial | ||
Paste/Butter | Human food | |
Ligneous endocarp | Charcoal | Fuel |
Pyroligneous acid and tar | Industrial | |
Ligneous Endocarp | Artisanry | |
A tree has a useful lifespan of 60 years. [27]
The baru tree grows wild, but there are recent attempts at large-scale cultivation. The fruit matures shortly before rain season in the cerrado, which could range between June and October depending on its latitude.
Its brown fruits are either collected from the ground or picked from the tree when they are almost ripe.
Baru fruit extraction is a profitable alternative to deforestation. Several cerrado communities rely on the sale of baru fruits and seeds as a source of revenue.
Out of the fruit, the pulp is sweet and nutritious. It can be consumed fresh, but is also used to manufacture jams, jellies, and liquors. Baru seeds are high in fat, proteins, dietary fibers, magnesium, iron and zinc. [31]
Nutritional value per 100 g (3.5 oz) | |
---|---|
Energy | 2,238 kJ (535 kcal) |
13.6 g | |
Sugars | 0.0 g |
Dietary fiber | 9.2 g |
42 g | |
Saturated | 7.6 g |
Monounsaturated | 21.4 g |
Polyunsaturated | 13.8 g |
29 g | |
Vitamins | Quantity %DV† |
Vitamin E | 143% 21.4 mg |
Minerals | Quantity %DV† |
Calcium | 8% 110 mg |
Iron | 27% 4.8 mg |
Magnesium | 39% 164 mg |
Phosphorus | 67% 832 mg |
Potassium | 33% 980 mg |
Zinc | 42% 4.6 mg |
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults, [33] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies. [34] |
The baru seed, also known as the baru nut, baru almond, or chiquitanian almond, is the seed of Dipteryx alata. It is classified as a tertiary grain legume, [35] [ failed verification ] as its supply chain is still very limited. Atypically among legume crop plants, baru seeds develop from a tree and are dispersed by animals, particularly birds, bats, and rodents.
Baru seeds are mild in flavor with a taste similar to peanuts and almonds, and are often served in similar ways in Western cuisines. [36] The botanical definition of a "nut" is a fruit whose ovary wall becomes hard at maturity. Using this criterion, the baru seed is not a nut given its unique fruit. However, it was initially translated in English as "nut" due to the first internationally published articles translating the word "castanha" from Portuguese.
Baru seeds are highly nutritious [37] and rich in: antioxidants (mainly tocopherols), protein, dietary fiber, omega-6, omega-3, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus and zinc.
Baru seeds should be served after heating through boiling, baking or roasting, which deactivates a trypsin inhibitor enzyme. [38] The trypsin inhibitor, if not deactivated, will not allow for the high protein content in baru seeds to be digested. [39]
Baru seeds are used mostly as an occasional salted snack by local communities, due to the difficulty of extracting them manually. In Canada and the United States, baru seeds are used as a snack and ingredient and are slowly being adopted as a peanut substitute. Individually, they are eaten dry-roasted. [36] Baru nuts are growing in popularity as an individual snack, and as an ingredient in other food such as protein bars. [5]
Baru seeds come from one of the earliest branches of legumes (called Dipterygeae), and did not evolve some characteristics of more derived, commonly consumed legumes. [40] This applies to proteins similar to allergenic ones present in peanuts, soybeans or peas, for example, bearing no risk of cross-reactivity.[ citation needed ] They are also unrelated to tree nuts. [41]
However, due to their early-stage processing chain, there is a possibility of cross-contamination with native nuts from Brazil such as cashew nuts and Brazil nuts if processed in a shared facility. [42]
According to D.K. Requena Suarez, an assessor writing for the IUCN in 2021, this species is vulnerable primarily due to its usage as timber and habitat loss by conversion of the Brazilian cerrado to intensive farming. [1] It is listed under CITES Appendix II as one of the Dipteryx species with protections against trade in certain types of its timber products scheduled to be effective 25 November 2024. [43] : 70
The almond is a species of tree from the genus Prunus. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus Amygdalus, distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the shell (endocarp) surrounding the seed.
The pistachio, a member of the cashew family, is a small tree originating in Persia. The tree produces seeds that are widely consumed as food. The word can be countable or uncountable, meaning its plural is with or without an 's'.
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs in the flowering plant family Rosaceae that includes plums, cherries, peaches, nectarines, apricots, and almonds. The genus has a cosmopolitan distribution, being native to the North American temperate regions, the neotropics of South America, and temperate and tropical regions of Asia and Africa, There are about 340 accepted species as of March 2024. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for their fruit and for decorative purposes. Prunus fruit are drupes, or stone fruits. The fleshy mesocarp surrounding the endocarp is edible while the endocarp itself forms a hard, inedible shell called the pyrena. This shell encloses the seed, which is edible in some species, but poisonous in many others. Besides being eaten off the hand, most Prunus fruit are also commonly used in processing, such as jam production, canning, drying, and the seeds for roasting.
A nut is a fruit consisting of a hard or tough nutshell protecting a kernel which is usually edible. In general usage and in a culinary sense, many dry seeds are called nuts. In a botanical context, "nut" implies that the shell does not open to release the seed (indehiscent).
The Brazil nut is a South American tree in the family Lecythidaceae, and it is also the name of the tree's commercially harvested edible seeds. It is one of the largest and longest-lived trees in the Amazon rainforest. The fruit and its nutshell – containing the edible Brazil nut – are relatively large and weigh as much as 2 kg (4.4 lb) in total. As food, Brazil nuts are notable for diverse content of micronutrients, especially a high amount of selenium. The wood of the Brazil nut tree is prized for its quality in carpentry, flooring, and heavy construction.
Theobroma grandiflorum, commonly known as cupuaçu, also spelled cupuassu, cupuazú, cupu assu, or copoazu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to cacao.
Dipteryx odorata is a species of flowering tree in the pea family, Fabaceae. The tree is native to Northern South America and is semi-deciduous. Its seeds are known as tonka beans. They are black and wrinkled and have a smooth, brown interior. They have a strong fragrance similar to sweet woodruff due to their high content of coumarin.
Canarium ovatum, the pili, is a species of tropical tree belonging to the genus Canarium. It is one of approximately 600 species in the family Burseraceae. C. ovatum are native to the Philippines. They are commercially cultivated in the Philippines for their edible nuts and is believed to be indigenous to that country. The fruit and tree are often vulgarized with the umbrella term of "Java almond" which mixes multiple species of the same genus, Canarium.
Dipteryx is a genus containing a number of species of large trees and possibly shrubs. It belongs to the "papilionoid" subfamily – Faboideae – of the family Fabaceae. This genus is native to South and Central America and the Caribbean. Formerly, the related genus Taralea was included in Dipteryx.
A tree nut allergy is a hypersensitivity to dietary substances from tree nuts and edible tree seeds causing an overreaction of the immune system which may lead to severe physical symptoms. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, chestnuts, filberts/hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pistachios, shea nuts and walnuts.
Dipteryx charapilla is a little-known species of flowering plant in the family Fabaceae, a large to mid-sized tree growing along rivers in the rainforests of Brazil. and Peru.
Pterodon is a genus of flowering plants in the legume family, Fabaceae. It includes four species of trees native to Brazil and Bolivia. Typical habitats include seasonally-dry tropical forest, woodland (cerrado), and thorn shrubland (caatinga), often on rocky outcrops. It belongs to the subfamily Faboideae.
Platypodium elegans, the graceful platypodium, is a large leguminous tree found in the Neotropics that forms part of the forest canopy. It was first described by Julius Rudolph Theodor Vogel in 1837 and is the type species of the genus. The tree has been known to grow up to 30 metres in height and have a trunk with a diameter up to 1 m at breast height. Its trunk has large holes in it, sometimes making it possible to see through the trunk. The holes provide a habitat for giant damselflies and other insects both when alive and once the tree has died and fallen over. It has compound leaves each of which is made up of 10–20 leaflets. Three new chemical compounds have been isolated from the leaves and they form part of the diet of several monkeys and the squirrel Sciurus ingrami. In Panama it flowers from April to June, the flowers contain only four ovules, but normally only one of these reaches maturity forming a winged seed pod around 10 cm long and weighing 2 g. During the dry season around a year after the flowers are fertilised, the seeds are dispersed by the wind and the tree loses it leaves. The seeds are eaten by agoutis and by bruchid beetle larvae. The majority of seedlings are killed by damping off fungi in the first few months of growth, with seedlings that grow nearer the parent trees being more likely to die. The seedlings are relatively unable to survive in deep shade compared to other species in the same habitat. Various epiphytes are known to grow on P. elegans with the cactus Epiphyllum phyllanthus being the most abundant in Panama. Despite having holes in its trunk which should encourage debris and seeds to collect, hemiepiphytes are relatively uncommon, meaning that animals are not attracted to it to feed and then defecate. It has no known uses in traditional medicine and although it can be used for timber, the wood is of poor quality.
Hymenaea stiginocarpa is an irregularly shaped, mostly 6–9 m (20–30 ft) high tree that has been assigned to the pea family. It has a twisted spindle-shaped trunk, a very rough grey bark, and reddish-brown twigs. The deciduous leaves consist of two large asymmetrical leaflets with an entire margin. The flowers occur in clusters of up to thirty at the end of the branches. It produces edible, highly appreciated fruits, which are often collected from the wild and used by local people. The vernacular name of this species in Brazil is jatobá do cerrado.
Tibouchina papyrus Toledo was described in 1952. Tibouchina papyrus is a narrow endemic to the campos rupestres and is mainly found in three localities in the states of Goiás and Tocantins in central Brazil, including the Serra da Natividade. Abreu et al. found that T. papyrus is a habitat-specialist on rocky outcrop cerrado which typically has shallow substrate and uneven topography, with sandstone soils and quartzite outcrops. This species has been collected at elevations between 500 metres and 1,100 metres. T. papyrus is listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Tibouchinapapyrus is locally known as “pau-papel”.
Qualea parviflora, known as pau-terra in Portuguese, is a deciduous tree indigenous to Bolivia, Brazil, and Paraguay. The tree favors dry climates like the tropical savanna of the cerrado.
Dipteryx micrantha is a tropical flowering plant, a giant tree in the Faboideae subfamily of the bean family Fabaceae. It is a dominant emergent tree in parts of the rainforests of Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. In the international timber market, this species is traded under the name cumaru. It furnishes a dense, hard, beautiful reddish timber which has become a popular import in the 2010s for use in parquet. The ornamental bunches of lilac pink flowers high in the canopy eventually develop into a mass of large fruit pods, which are an important food for many native animals during the dry season. The fruit contains a single oily seed which is edible, although these seeds are not exploited as a commercial product.
Campomanesia adamantium, commonly known as gabiroba, guavira, or guabiroba do campo, is a short shrub-like plant that grows no taller than 1.5 meters on average It is natively found in the central part of South America, in Paraguay and Brazil. The plant produces small yellow-green edible fruits
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