Hirtella americana
| Carita de negro (Hirtella americana) | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Hirtella americana |
| Common names | Carita de negro, guamo mestizo, pasito, garrapo |
| Genus | Hirtella |
| Family | Chrysobalanaceae |
| Order | Malpighiales |
| Native range | Southeastern Mexico to Ecuador; Cuba to Hispaniola |
| Fruit use | Raw fruit and pulp recorded as food |
Hirtella americana is a Neotropical shrub or tree in the family Chrysobalanaceae. It is recorded from southeastern Mexico through Central America to Ecuador, and from Cuba to Hispaniola, with regional names including carita de negro, guamo mestizo, pasito, and garrapo.[1] The species is associated with seasonally dry tropical vegetation and dry forest on elevated ground.[1][2]
Description[edit | edit source]
The plant may be a shrub or a tree reaching about 20 m, although it is usually smaller in the examined floristic treatments.[2] The regional description records white flowers and a black fruit. The fruit is ellipsoid, with a thin fleshy mesocarp and a thin, hard, bony endocarp that is hairy on the inside.[2] These features distinguish the fruit from a general dark-skinned berry: the edible portion is a thin pulp around a substantial stone.
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Hirtella americana is associated with dry forest on elevated ground and with a seasonally dry tropical biome.[1][2] As a habitat-based cultivation inference, begin with an elevated, freely draining position rather than a site that stays waterlogged. The records support that site choice, but not a fixed soil recipe or watering interval.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
A warm site that experiences a seasonal dry phase is the closest documented climate analogue for the species.[1] Canopy exposure is not defined by the floristic description, so this habitat analogue should not be converted into a fixed full-sun or deep-shade prescription; use a conservative exposure while a cultivated plant establishes.
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
The Flora de Nicaragua treatment records flowering from February through April and fruiting from April through June for its regional population.[2] Those months are a regional phenology reference, not a universal calendar for the whole native range. In cultivation, seasonal timing should therefore be read against the local wet/dry cycle rather than treated as a fixed harvest schedule.
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Seed is the documented propagation route in the examined species account, but no complete treatment, germination time, storage condition, or transplant schedule is given.[3] Seed is therefore the documented starting material; the account does not justify a species-specific scarification, temperature, or sowing prescription.
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
The regional flowering observation is February-April, followed by fruiting in April-June in the Flora de Nicaragua treatment.[2] The fruit is described as black and ellipsoid, with thin fleshy pulp around a hard endocarp.[2] Harvest timing should be established from local fruit color and texture because the cited months describe one regional treatment rather than the entire range.
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The fruit and pulp are recorded as eaten raw, and the species account describes wild harvest for local food use.[1][3] This is a record of traditional use, not a claim about flavor, yield, commercial quality, or food safety. The thin mesocarp and hard, internally hairy endocarp are the principal documented fruit characteristics.