Characteristics
A small tree. It grows 4-8 m high. The trunk is 20-40 cm across. The branches zigzag. The leaves are alternate. They are entire and oblong. They are 4-5 cm long by 2.5-3 cm wide. There are 3 parallel veins running from the base to the tip. The fruit stalks are hairy and 3-4 mm long. The fruit is fleshy with a hard stone inside. It is round and 1.5 cm across. They are green and turn purple. The seed is oval and 1 cm long. Possibly now Sarcomphalus mistol (Griseb.) Hauenschild.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
free-standing
|
| Foliage retention |
deciduous
|
| Sexuality |
hermaphrodite
|
| Pollination |
-
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
0.2 - 0.4
|
| Mature height (meter) |
6.0 - 8.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
c3
|
Environment
A tropical plant. It grows naturally in dry, thorny scrubland in Brazil.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The ripe fruit are eaten fresh. They can be dried and stored. The fruit are used to prepare an alcoholic drink in the Andes. Caution: Alcohol is a cause of cancer. The fruit are also pounded and used as a drink.
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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