Piquia-oil plant, Souari nut, Broadleaved Lucuma

A tropical plant. They grow naturally in the hot scrub land in North Brazil.

Also known as:

Amendoa-de-espinho, Brazilian souari nut, Choky apple, Grao-de-cavalo, Pequerim, Pequi, Pequia-pedra, Pequia, Piqui, Piquia-bravo, Piquia, Prin, Suari

Edible Portion

Fruit, Nuts, Oil

Where does Piquia-oil plant grow?

Found in: Amazon, Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay, South America

Notes: The Caryocaraceae occur in tropical America. There are 16 Caryocar species. It is an excellent source of Vitamin A. It has antioxidant properties.

Status: It is a cultivated fruit tree.

Growing Piquia-oil plant, Souari nut, Broadleaved Lucuma

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and allowed to open in the sun. The pits are dried. They can only be stored for a short time. The fresh pits with seeds inside are soaked in water for 48 hours changing the water every 12 hours. The seed germinate in 30-50 days.

Edible Uses: The pulp of the fruit is chewed raw. They are also cooked. The nut is chewed raw. The fruit is eaten fresh or used for sweets and liqueur. The fleshy covered pit or stone is cooked with rice to add flavour to the rice.

Production: Trees grow slowly. A tree can be 1.5 m tall after 2 years. One tree can provide several thousand fruit each year.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Iron (mg)	Vitamin A (ug)	Vitamin c (mg)	Zinc (mg)	% Water
Nuts	-	-	-	-	-	-
Fruit	317.2	2.2	-	-	-	-	51.7
Fruit	278	2.7	0.5	-	22.6	0.7	54.6

References

A. F. C. P. de Saint-Hilaire, Fl. Bras. merid. 1:322, t. 67 bis. 1828

Araujo, F. D., 1995, A review of Caryocar brasiliense (Caryocaraceae) - an Economically Valuable Species of the Centra Brazilian Cerrados. Economic Botany, 49(1): 40-48

Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 87

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Brazil: Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition. http://www.b4fn.org/countries/brazil/

Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 103

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Hunter, D., et al, 2019, The potential of neglected and underutilized species for improving diets and nutrition. Planta (2019) 250:709-729

Lorenzi, H., 2002, Brazilian Trees. A Guide to the Identification and Cultivation of Brazilian Native Trees. Vol. 01 Nova Odessa, SP, Instituto Plantarum p 94

Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 110

Martin, F. W., et al, 1987, Perennial Edible Fruits of the Tropics. USDA Handbook 642 p 91

NYBG Herbarium "edible"

Oliviera V. B., et al, 2012, Native foods from Brazilian biodiversity as a source of bioactive compounds. Food Research International 48 (2012) 170-179

Paz, F. S., et al, 2021, Edible Fruit Plant Species in the Amazon Forest Rely Mostly on Bees and Beetles as Pollinators. Journal of Economic Entomology, XX(XX), 2021, 1–13

Prance, Ghillean T. and Marlene Freitas da Silva, 1973, Caryocaraceae, Flora Neotropica, Vol. 12, Caryocaraceae p 25

Silva, S y H. Tassara.1996. Frutas no Brasil. Empresa das Artes. São Paulo

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)

Vasquez, Roberto Ch. & Coimbra, German S., 1996, Frutas Silvestres Comestibles de Santa Cruz. p 88

Wickens, G.E., 1995, Edible Nuts. FAO Non-wood forest products. FAO, Rome. p 60, 113

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew