Lecythis zabucajo
| Lecythis zabucajo | |
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| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Asterids |
| Order: | Ericales |
| Family: | Lecythidaceae |
| Genus: | Lecythis |
| Species: | L. zabucajo |
| Binomial name | |
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Lecythis zabucajo Aubl. |
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| Synonyms | |
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Lecythis crassinoda Miers |
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Lecythis crassinoda Miers
Lecythis davisii Sandwith
Lecythis davisii var. gracilipes Eyma
Lecythis hians A.C.Sm.
Lecythis lecomtei Pamp.
Lecythis tumefacta Miers
Lecythis validissima Miers
Lecythis zabucajo,sapucaia or paradise nut, is a large nut-producing tree occurring in the Guianas, Suriname, Venezuela, Ecuador, Honduras and Brazil, and which distribution range is much the same as that of the greater spear-nosed bat (Phyllostomus hastatus). Although not singling out Lecythis zabucajo, Jacques Huber noted in 1909 that fruit bats played the most important role in seed dispersal in Amazonian forests. The quality of its nuts led to the species' being introduced to numerous tropical countries, notably Trinidad, where it has flourished. The nuts are a valuable food resource and yield oil suitable for cooking and domestic use.
This species is closely related to the Brazil nut, both belonging to the family Lecythidaceae and having coconut-sized fruits. The tree's large woody gourd-like fruits with edible white flesh are used for water vessels and for ornamental purposes. The fruit is called 'monkey pot', a name used for a number of other species, including Lecythis elliptica, Lecythis grandiflora, and Lecythis pisonis. The name is said to derive from baiting an empty fruit with food and fixing it to a low branch; a monkey can easily insert its paw through the opening, but cannot withdraw it once it has grasped the contents.
The unusual shape and size of the pendant woody capsule, with its lid or operculum, is shared by other Lecythidaceae genera such as Couroupita, Bertholletia and Grias. The family is ecologically important in the Amazon Rainforest, and a 2006 survey sampling 277,069 trees, found it to be the third most abundant family, while Eschweilera is represented by more trees than any other genus. The nuts and arils are highly nutritious so that on maturing they are soon removed by animals. Bats, particularly Phyllostomus hastatus, play an important role in dispersal of the species as they eat the aril and have to remove the nut from the capsule in order to do so. The genus Lecythis is thought to concentrate the trace element Selenium in its seeds, which, while an essential part of a balanced diet in small quantities, selenoproteins being important antioxidant enzymes, may lead to poisoning if taken excessively.
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Wikipedia