| Lecythis minor | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Lecythidaceae |
| Genus: | Lecythis |
| Species: | L. minor |
| Binomial name | |
| Lecythis minor Jacq. | |
| Synonyms [2] | |
| |
Lecythis minor, the monkey-pot tree, is a small tree with toxic seeds that occurs in South America. [3]
Lecythis minor is a small to medium-sized tree that ranges from 5–25 m (16–82 ft) in height and has a 70 cm (28 in) diameter at breast height. Its bark is grey, and is smooth when the tree is young but develops deep vertical fissures as the tree ages.
It has ovoid leaves that are about 8.5–24.5 cm (3.3–9.6 in) long and 4.5–10 m (15–33 ft) wide. The leaves are glabrous and coriaceous, with serrated margins. [4] The leaves have 12 to 19 pairs of lateral veins, and the leaf stalks are 5–20 mm (0.20–0.79 in) and puberulous.
The flowers of Lecythis minor are arranged on a rachis, being 10–35 cm (3.9–13.8 in) long, and the inflorescences are white to yellow, green while budding. Each rachis has 10 to 75 flowers, and the rachides are pubescent.
The fruit of the tree have a distinct cup shape representative of the genus Lecythis, and are spherical with a 7.5–11 mm (0.30–0.43 in) thick pericarp. [5] The seeds are reddish-brown and fusiform, and contain toxic amounts of selenium. The seeds tolerate a very low pH. [6]
Lecythis minor is common in South America. It ranges from the Maracaibo lowlands of Venezuela to the northern coast of Colombia where it ascends the Magdalena and Cauca valleys. It was introduced in many other places in South America as well, from La Lima in Honduras to Soledad in Cuba. It occurs in dry, open, and disturbed habitats, where it grows as a small and many-branched tree. It can also be found in moister forests where it forms a taller, single-trunked tree. It grows especially well along rivers in tropical forests. The tree tolerates an annual precipitation of 9.1–22.8 dm (36–90 in), an annual temperature of 24.4–26.5 °C (75.9–79.7 °F), and a soil pH of 5.0 to 8.0. [6] [7]
The tree is pollinated by bees and seeds are dispersed by fruit bats. [6]
It is cultivated as an ornamental tree in many places, such as the Summit Gardens in Panama. The nuts of the tree are collected when ripe, and the tree can produce fruit as young as 2 m (6 ft 7 in) tall. In indigenous medicine, the fruit is supposedly antiasthmatic and depilatory. [6] [8]
The seeds are toxic, especially when consumed in large quantities. The toxicity is derived from the amino acid in the plant that is a selenium analog to cystathionine, through which selenium is stored in the seeds during reproductive growth. The seeds contain approximately 85% of the tree's total selenium in the form of selenomethionine. [9] The seeds taste agreeable, but can induce nausea, anxiety, and giddiness, and can cause loss of hair and fingernails. Dickinson found that after consuming 300 to 600 seeds he had temporary loss of hair and fingernails. The toxicity can vary depending on the soil, as some evidence suggests that seed toxicity increases as the amount of selenium in the soil increases. [6]
Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the biggest seed in a plant. It formerly also was found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde, all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced.
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, possibly weighing as much as 2 kg (4.4 lb) in total weight. 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.
Melicoccus bijugatus is a fruit-bearing tree in the soapberry family Sapindaceae, native or naturalized across the New World tropics including South and Central America, and parts of the Caribbean. Its stone-bearing fruits are edible. It is also called Bajan ackee, genip, guinep, genipe, ginepa, kenèp, quenepa, quenepe, quenette, chenet, skinup, talpa jocote, mamón, limoncillo, canepa, skinip, kenepa, kinnip, huaya, or mamoncillo.
Monstera deliciosa, the Swiss cheese plant or split-leaf philodendron is a species of flowering plant native to tropical forests of southern Mexico, south to Panama. It has been introduced to many tropical areas, and has become a mildly invasive species in Hawaii, Seychelles, Ascension Island and the Society Islands. It is very widely grown in temperate zones as a houseplant.
Cassia fistula, also known as golden shower, purging cassia, Indian laburnum, Kani Konna, or pudding-pipe tree, is a flowering plant in the family Fabaceae. The species is native to the Indian subcontinent and adjacent regions of Southeast Asia. It is the official state flower of Kerala state in India. It is also a popular ornamental plant and is also used in herbal medicine.
Attalea maripa, commonly called maripa palm is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It grows up 35 m (115 ft) tall and can have leaves or fronds 10–12 m (33–39 ft) long. This plant has a yellow edible fruit which is oblong ovoid and cream. An edible oil can be extracted from the pulp of the fruit and from the kernel of the seed.
Diospyros nigra, the black sapote, is a species of persimmon. Common names include chocolate pudding fruit, black soapapple and zapote prieto. The tropical fruit tree is native to Mexico, Central America, and Colombia. The common name sapote refers to any soft, edible fruit. Black sapote is not related to white sapote nor mamey sapote. The genus Diospyros has numerous other fruit bearing tree species in addition to the persimmons and black sapote.
Lonicera caerulea, also known by its common names blue honeysuckle, sweetberry honeysuckle, fly honeysuckle, blue-berried honeysuckle, or the honeyberry, is a non-climbing honeysuckle native throughout the cool temperate Northern Hemisphere regions of North America, Europe, and Asia.
Castanea pumila, commonly known as the Allegheny chinquapin, American chinquapin or dwarf chestnut, is a species of chestnut native to the southeastern United States. The native range is from Massachusetts and New York to Maryland and extreme southern New Jersey and southeast Pennsylvania south to central Florida, west to eastern Texas, and north to southern Missouri and Kentucky. The plant's habitat is dry sandy and rocky uplands and ridges mixed with oak and hickory to 1000 m elevation. It grows best on well-drained soils in full sun or partial shade.
Pachira aquatica is a tropical wetland tree in the mallow family Malvaceae, native to Central and South America where it grows in swamps. It is known by its common names Malabar chestnut, French peanut, Guiana chestnut, Provision tree, Saba nut, Monguba (Brazil), Pumpo (Guatemala) and is commercially sold under the names Money tree and Money plant. This tree is sometimes sold with a braided trunk and is commonly grown as a houseplant, although more commonly what is sold as a "Pachira aquatica" houseplant is in fact a similar species, P. glabra.
Lecythis pisonis, the cream nut or monkey pot, is a tropical tree in the Brazil nut family Lecythidaceae. It is known in its native tropical America as sapucaia or castanha-de-sapucaia. The fruit is shaped like a cooking pot and contains edible seeds.
Lecythis ollaria is a species of tree found growing in forests in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela. The tree is known locally as coco de mono, and accumulates selenium in its tissues.
Dypsis ambositrae is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Madagascar where it is threatened by habitat loss.
Illicium floridanum is an evergreen shrub native to the Gulf Coast area of the Southern United States, from Florida to Louisiana.
Ximenia americana, commonly known as tallow wood, hog plum, yellow plum, sea lemon, or pi'ut (Chamorro), is bush-forming shrub/small tree; a species from the Ximenia genus in the Olacaceae family. It is mainly found in the tropics, ranging from Africa, India and southeast Asia, to Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, West Indies, Central, North and South America. It is especially common in Africa and South America. It is not domesticated so it is only found occurring in the wild.
Semecarpus australiensis, commonly known as the tar tree, native cashew, marking nut, or cedar plum, is a species of tree in the cashew, sumac and mango family Anacardiaceae, native to parts of Melanesia and northern Australia. Contact with the plant can cause serious allergic reactions, a common characteristic of this family.
Elaeocarpus bancroftii, commonly known as Kuranda quandong, Johnstone River almond, ebony heart, grey nut, or nut tree is a large rainforest tree in the family Elaeocarpaceae which is endemic to Queensland. It has coriaceous leaves, attractive white flowers and relatively large fruit containing an edible kernel.
Inocarpus fagifer, commonly known as the Tahitian chestnut or Polynesian chestnut, is a species of flowering plant in the subfamily Faboideae of the legume family, Fabaceae. The tree has a wide range in the tropics of the south-west Pacific and south-east Asian regions, and a history of traditional use by the peoples of Polynesia and Melanesia. It is the only edible and culturally important member of the genus Inocarpus.
Lecythis zabucajo, the sapucaia or paradise nut, is a large nut-producing tree occurring in the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and Brazil, and which distribution range is much the same as that of the greater spear-nosed bat. Although not singling out Lecythis zabucajo, Jacques Huber noted in 1909 that fruit bats played the most important role in seed dispersal in Amazonian forests. The quality of its nuts led to the species' being introduced to numerous tropical countries, notably Trinidad, where it has flourished. The nuts are a valuable food resource and yield oil suitable for cooking and domestic use.
Lecythis ampla is a species of woody plant in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut. Common names include coco, olla de mono, jicaro and salero. It is found in Central and South America. It has been considered an endangered species in Costa Rica.
