Caryocar Explained

Caryocar (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771.^{[1] [2]} It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the West Indies.^[3]

Caryocar consists of trees that yield a strong timber. Some of the species within the genus Caryocar have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts.^[4] The most well-known species is probably the Pekea-nut (C. nuciferum). In Brazil the Pequi (C. brasiliense) is most popular; it has a variety of uses, not the least among them being the production of pequi oil. Furthermore, some species are used by indigenous peoples to produce poisons for hunting.

Species^[3]

1. Caryocar amygdaliferum Mutis - Colombia, Panama
2. Caryocar amygdaliforme G.Don - Ecuador, N Peru
3. Caryocar brasiliense A.St.-Hil. - Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
4. Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. - N Brazil
5. Caryocar costaricense Donn.Sm. - Costa Rica
6. Caryocar cuneatum Wittm. - Brazil
7. Caryocar dentatum Gleason - NW Brazil, Bolivia
8. Caryocar edule Casar. - Bahia, Rio de Janeiro
9. Caryocar glabrum (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil
10. Caryocar microcarpum Ducke - Lesser Antilles, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia
11. Caryocar montanum Prance - Guyana, Bolívar, Roraima
12. Caryocar nuciferum L. - Pekea-nut, Butter-nut of Guinea - St. Kitts, St. Vincent, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, N Brazil
13. Caryocar pallidum A.C.Sm. - NW Brazil, S Venezuela, Bolivia
14. Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Venezuela, N Brazil, Colombia

External links

• (1946). Frutas Indígenas [in Portuguese]. Instituto de Botânica da Secretaria de Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio de São Paulo.
• photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Panama, Caryocar amygdaliferum
• photo of Caryocar costaricense, taken in Costa Rica by Reinaldo Aguilar

Notes and References

1. Linnaeus, Carl von. 1771. Mantissa Plantarum 2: 154, 247
2. http://www.tropicos.org/Name/40002072 Tropicos, Caryocar L.
3. http://apps.kew.org/wcsp/namedetail.do?name_id=34621 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
4. Hoehne (1946)