Fruit trees we are looking for
Chrysobalanus icaco
Chrysobalanus savannarum Britton
Chrysobalanus icaco is a fruit tree from tropical America and the West Indies.
It is found on the dry coast as well as in the semi-humid forest or on the edge of the rivers
Other names
Icaque or plum cotton in French
Fat pork or coconut plum in English
Icaco in Spanish.
Chrysobalanus icaco, cocoplum, paradisiacal plum, abajeru or icaco, is found near marine and inland beaches throughout tropical Africa, the tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and south Florida and the Bahamas. It is also found as an exotic species on other tropical islands, where it has become invasive. Although taxonomists disagree on whether Chrysobalanus icaco has several subspecies or varieties, it is recognized that it has two ecotypes, described as inland, much less salt tolerant and more vertical. . pellocarpus and a coastal C. icaco var. icaco.
The two ripe fruits of C. icaco and the seed inside the ribbed shell it contains are considered edible.
Description
Chrysobalanus icaco is a shrub 1-3 meters (3.3-9.8 feet) or a shrubby tree 2-6 meters (6.6-19.7 feet), rarely 10 meters (33 feet). Its evergreen leaves are broadly ovate to almost round, with slightly leathery leaves (3 to 10 cm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide). The colors of the leaves go from green to light red. The bark is greyish or reddish brown, with white spots.
The clustered flowers are small, greenish-white and appear intermittently throughout the year, but more abundantly in late spring. The fruit that follows (a drupe) is variable, that of the coastal form being round, up to 5 cm in diameter, white, pale yellow with a blush pink or dark purple, while that of the inner form is oval, until 2.5 cm long and dark purple. The fruit is edible, with an almost tasteless to slightly sweet flavor, and is sometimes used for jam. It contains a brown stone with five or six veins with an edible white seed. The common name for this fruit in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana is the "big pig".
Chrysobalanus icaco is unable to survive a hard frost, but is planted as an ornamental shrub in the subtropics because of its appearance, easily manageable size and tolerance to shallow and variable soils (eg pH 8). 4).
Several cultivars are available:
The Red Tip is an Earth ecotype and is most often planted in Florida, often as a hedge. It is a fortuitous event that has a new pink growth.
"Green Tip" is another example of the "indoor" type that has new green growth.
"Horizontal" is of the coastal type and tends to take root wherever its creeping branches touch the ground, creating clumps over time that can help stabilize the soil. Combined with the high salt tolerance of the coastal ecotype, this characteristic means that it can be planted to stabilize the edges of the beach and prevent erosion.
Chrysobalanus icaco plays a role in traditional medicine in parts of its original range and has been the subject of scientific studies that have demonstrated hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antifungal and other pharmacological properties of the extract leaves.
Family: Chrysobalanaceae
Genus: Chrysobalanus
Species: C. icaco
synonyms:
Chrysobalanus atacorensis A.Chev.
Chrysobalanus chariensis A.Chev.
Maba sudanensis A.Chev.
Chrysobalanus purpureus Mill.
Chrysobalanus pellocarpus G.Mey.
Chrysobalanus ellipticus Sol. ex Sabine
Chrysobalanus luteus Sabine
Chrysobalanus orbicularis Schumach.
Chrysobalanus guianensis Klotzsch
Chrysobalanus stuhlmannii Engl.
Chrysobalanus inside Small
Chrysobalanus icaco is a fruit tree from tropical America and the West Indies.
It is found on the dry coast as well as in the semi-humid forest or on the edge of the rivers
Other names
Icaque or plum cotton in French
Fat pork or coconut plum in English
Icaco in Spanish.
Chrysobalanus icaco, cocoplum, paradisiacal plum, abajeru or icaco, is found near marine and inland beaches throughout tropical Africa, the tropical Americas and the Caribbean, and south Florida and the Bahamas. It is also found as an exotic species on other tropical islands, where it has become invasive. Although taxonomists disagree on whether Chrysobalanus icaco has several subspecies or varieties, it is recognized that it has two ecotypes, described as inland, much less salt tolerant and more vertical. . pellocarpus and a coastal C. icaco var. icaco.
The two ripe fruits of C. icaco and the seed inside the ribbed shell it contains are considered edible.
Description
Chrysobalanus icaco is a shrub 1-3 meters (3.3-9.8 feet) or a shrubby tree 2-6 meters (6.6-19.7 feet), rarely 10 meters (33 feet). Its evergreen leaves are broadly ovate to almost round, with slightly leathery leaves (3 to 10 cm long and 2.5 to 7 cm wide). The colors of the leaves go from green to light red. The bark is greyish or reddish brown, with white spots.
The clustered flowers are small, greenish-white and appear intermittently throughout the year, but more abundantly in late spring. The fruit that follows (a drupe) is variable, that of the coastal form being round, up to 5 cm in diameter, white, pale yellow with a blush pink or dark purple, while that of the inner form is oval, until 2.5 cm long and dark purple. The fruit is edible, with an almost tasteless to slightly sweet flavor, and is sometimes used for jam. It contains a brown stone with five or six veins with an edible white seed. The common name for this fruit in Barbados, Trinidad and Tobago and Guyana is the "big pig".
Chrysobalanus icaco is unable to survive a hard frost, but is planted as an ornamental shrub in the subtropics because of its appearance, easily manageable size and tolerance to shallow and variable soils (eg pH 8). 4).
Several cultivars are available:
The Red Tip is an Earth ecotype and is most often planted in Florida, often as a hedge. It is a fortuitous event that has a new pink growth.
"Green Tip" is another example of the "indoor" type that has new green growth.
"Horizontal" is of the coastal type and tends to take root wherever its creeping branches touch the ground, creating clumps over time that can help stabilize the soil. Combined with the high salt tolerance of the coastal ecotype, this characteristic means that it can be planted to stabilize the edges of the beach and prevent erosion.
Chrysobalanus icaco plays a role in traditional medicine in parts of its original range and has been the subject of scientific studies that have demonstrated hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antifungal and other pharmacological properties of the extract leaves.
Family: Chrysobalanaceae
Genus: Chrysobalanus
Species: C. icaco
synonyms:
Chrysobalanus atacorensis A.Chev.
Chrysobalanus chariensis A.Chev.
Maba sudanensis A.Chev.
Chrysobalanus purpureus Mill.
Chrysobalanus pellocarpus G.Mey.
Chrysobalanus ellipticus Sol. ex Sabine
Chrysobalanus luteus Sabine
Chrysobalanus orbicularis Schumach.
Chrysobalanus guianensis Klotzsch
Chrysobalanus stuhlmannii Engl.
Chrysobalanus inside Small