Couma utilis Müll.Arg.

Species

Angiosperms > Gentianales > Apocynaceae > Couma

Characteristics

A medium sized tree. It grows 5-17 m tall. The trunk is 5-20 cm across and has latex. The leaves are simple and opposite or alternate. The leaves are oblong and 5-10 cm long by 2-4 cm wide. The fruit are small and round. They are 2-4 cm across. They look a little like a guava. The pulp is sweet and edible. They contain several seeds.
Life form perennial
Growth form tree
Growth support free-standing
Foliage retention evergreen
Sexuality hermaphrodite
Pollination -
Spread -
Mature width (meter) 0.05 - 0.2
Mature height (meter) 10.0 - 12.0
Root system -
Rooting depth (meter) 1.5
Root diameter (meter) -
Flower color -
Blooming months -
Fruit color -
Fruiting months -
Nitrogen fixer -
Photosynthetic pathway c3

Environment

A tropical plant. It grows naturally in the lowland Amazon in Brazil. It is often in dry, non flooded zones. It grows up to 1,000 m above sea level.
More
Dense forest of virgin bushes, on flooded or dry land. Often grows in dry non-flood zones, in or near fields and grasslands.
Light 4-9
Soil humidity 4-6
Soil texture 3-6
Soil acidity -
Soil nutriment -
Hardiness (USDA) 10-12

Usage

The fruit is eaten fresh. The latex from the tree is used in medicine and to flavour drinks. It is a substitute for chicle.
Uses material medicinal ornamental wood
Edible fruits pods saps
Therapeutic use Parasiticide (unspecified), Parasiticide(Veterinary) (unspecified), Skin (unspecified), Skin(Veterinary) (unspecified)
Human toxicity -
Animal toxicity -

Cultivation

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and put into a plastic bag to rot the flesh and make the seeds easier to remove. The ripe seeds are sown and germinate in 20-40 days.
Mode seedlings
Germination duration (days) -
Germination temperacture (C°) -
Germination luminosity -
Germination treatment -
Minimum temperature (C°) -
Optimum temperature (C°) 20 - 30
Size -
Vigor -
Productivity -

Images

Couma utilis unspecified picture

Distribution

Couma utilis world distribution map, present in Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of)

Identifiers

LSID urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:78177-1
WFO ID wfo-0000926022
COL ID YZKZ
BDTFX ID -
INPN ID -
Wikipedia (EN) Link
Wikipedia (FR)

Synonyms

Couma dulcis Couma multinervis Couma utilis Collophora utilis