Characteristics
A large herb. The trunk is not woody and is 5-12 m tall. It is unbranched. The leaves are simple. The flowering arrangement is on the end of the trunk. It is 80-120 cm long. The flowers along each side of the stalk have 40 cm long bracts that are greenish-yellow but turn brown. These become woody. The fruit is a woody capsule. It is 11-13 cm long by 5-7 cm across. There are many small seeds in each fruit. They are 1 cm long by 0.5 cm wide. They are black and shiny. The seeds are edible. They have a bright orange or red layer around the seeds. The plant dies after fruit are set.
| Life form |
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| Growth form |
herb
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| Growth support |
-
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| Foliage retention |
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| Sexuality |
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| Pollination |
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| Spread |
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| Mature width (meter) |
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| Mature height (meter) |
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| Root system |
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| Rooting depth (meter) |
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| Root diameter (meter) |
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| Flower color |
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| Blooming months |
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| Fruit color |
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| Fruiting months |
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| Nitrogen fixer |
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| Photosynthetic pathway |
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Environment
A tropical plant. It grows on coastal plains and along rivers and in marshy areas.
| Light |
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| Soil humidity |
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| Soil texture |
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| Soil acidity |
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| Soil nutriment |
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| Hardiness (USDA) |
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Usage
The red aril of layer around the seeds is eaten.
| Uses |
material
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| Edible
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seeds
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| Therapeutic use
|
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| Human toxicity |
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| Animal toxicity |
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Cultivation
| Mode |
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| Germination duration (days) |
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| Germination temperacture (C°) |
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| Germination luminosity |
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| Germination treatment |
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| Minimum temperature (C°) |
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| Optimum temperature (C°) |
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| Size |
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| Vigor |
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| Productivity |
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