Pourouma cecropiifolia Mart.

A medium size tree 8-18 m high. The leaves are 25 cm long and grow in large clusters. The leaves are velvety and blue-grey underneath. Male and female flowers are on separate trees. The fruit form in clusters of 25 or more. The fruit are round and purple. They are 2-5 cm across. They have a white, juicy pulp. The ripe fruit smell like wintergreen mint.

A tropical plant. It will not tolerate frost. It needs regular moisture throughout the year. It suits the hot, humid tropical lowlands. It grows in areas with rainfalls of 1,500-4,000 mm per year. The average temperatures are 20-28°C. Trees will stand short periods of flooding but are very susceptible to drought. It grows naturally in the rainforests of Brazil, Peru and Ecuador. It grows up to 1,700 m above sea level.

The fruit are eaten raw or made into wine. They are also used for jams, juice and jellies. The flavour is mild like a common grape.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed need to be sown fresh. Plants germinate in 3-5 weeks.