Characteristics
A tree. It grows 10-20 m high. The crown is round or pyramid shape. The trunk is 60-80 cm across. The bark is smooth and light coloured, but fibrous. The leaves are simple and alternate. They are 7-12 cm long by 2-3 cm wide. The flowers occur singly at the ends of stalks. They are large and showy and have a smell. The fruit are long berries. They occur in bunches. There is a small amount of soft sweet flesh and many seeds.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.6 - 0.8
|
| Mature height (meter) |
12.5 - 17.5
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. It grows in Brazil in forests near the Atlantic coast.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The fruit are eaten fresh.
Cultivation
The plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and the seeds removed. They are washed in running water and dried in the shade. The seeds have a hard seed coat so must be scratched or treated with acid to improve their germination. They also have a long dormancy.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
soaking
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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