Gustavia superba
| Membrillo (Gustavia superba) | |
|---|---|
| |
| Scientific name | Gustavia superba |
| Genus | Gustavia |
| Family | Lecythidaceae |
| Order | Ericales |
| Common names | Membrillo, pacó, pacora, monkey fruit, heaven lotus, sachamango |
| Native range | Panama to northwestern Ecuador |
| Habitat | Wet tropical forest, from lowland sites to about 1300 m |
| Mature size | Up to 20 m |
| Fruit | Woody, green to yellow, about 3–9 cm long and 4–10 cm wide; orange arils around several seeds |
| Propagation | Seed or stem cuttings |
Gustavia superba is a wet-tropical tree in the Brazil-nut family, Lecythidaceae, native from Panama to northwestern Ecuador. It is also known as membrillo and pacó. Kew accepts the name and records the species in wet tropical biome from sea level to about 1300 m.[1] A specialist treatment describes trees to 20 m, large clustered leaves, cauliflorous racemes bearing 3–12 flowers, and flowers 10–15 cm across.[2]
Description[edit | edit source]
The tree has large leaves clustered toward the ends of its branches. Flowers arise from the trunk or older woody stems in racemes, an arrangement that makes the flowers conspicuous beneath the canopy. The flowers are large, and the woody fruit is round to depressed-globose. Mature fruit changes from green toward yellow; the orange mesocarp or arils surround several large seeds.[2][3] The NYBG treatment gives seeds usually measuring about 12–35 × 11–22 mm, while the Singapore profile gives whole-fruit dimensions of about 3–9 cm long and 4–10 cm wide.[2][3]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
Its native range is wet tropical forest, so cultivation should provide reliable moisture during active growth while keeping the root zone well drained. Practical horticultural profiles place it in rich, well-drained soil, with acidic to neutral soil described as suitable.[6][1][3] Avoid stagnant water and heavy, airless media; organic matter is useful when it does not compromise drainage. Trees established in a seasonal climate should receive more consistent irrigation through the dry period than during naturally wet weather.
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
The species tolerates semi-shade, while stronger growth is described in full sun. Give young trees bright filtered light or gentle morning sun, then increase exposure where water supply and humidity are adequate. A humid, sheltered position with protection from drying wind is the closest cultivation analogue to its wet-forest range.[1][3][6]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
In a year-long study in central Panama, flowering began on 16 January and continued to 12 June. Fruiting began on 5 February, and the greatest fall of mature fruit occurred from May through July, near the beginning of the wet season there.[5] These calendar dates reflect one seasonal tropical site rather than a fixed range for every climate. In cultivation, keep root moisture from falling sharply during the dry season and maintain good drainage as seasonal rains return.
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Seed and stem cuttings are both listed as propagation routes for the species.[3][6] Fresh mature seeds are the best-documented route. A Panama field experiment placed 1,800 seeds in buried and unburied treatments across forest gaps, gap edges and understory plots; mean germination was 85.4%, with germination taking approximately 40–70 days.[4] Those figures describe establishment in forest microsites, not a guaranteed nursery percentage or schedule. Unburied seeds in a very large gap performed poorly relative to other microsites, so a humid, shaded-to-bright propagation environment is a more defensible starting point than exposed, drying conditions.[4]
A specialist horticultural profile describes soaking seed for one day, using a warm humid medium near 24–26 °C, and allowing about 7–9 weeks for germination.[6] Treat those details as a practical secondary starting protocol rather than a species-wide standard, and keep the medium moist without waterlogging.
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
Flowers in the central-Panama study opened around daybreak and withered by evening. Bagging and crossing tests found that five of ten crossed flowers formed good-sized fruit, while control, bagged, and selfed flowers failed in that experiment.[5] The result suggests that pollen transfer between flowers or trees may be important under comparable conditions, but the small test does not establish a universal orchard pollination rule.
The same study recorded fruiting from February onward, with the heaviest mature-fruit fall in May–July at its Panamanian site.[5] Harvest fruit as the green skin changes toward yellow and the fruit reaches the mature condition described for the species; local flowering and harvest timing will shift with rainfall, temperature and latitude.
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The woody fruit contains orange mesocarp or arils around several large seeds. Kew records food use, while the Singapore profile describes the orange aril as reportedly edible but unpalatable.[1][3] The conflicting strength of these descriptions calls for caution: an individual fruit-use record is not food-safety clearance, and the aril's flavor and palatability should not be generalized without local identification and preparation knowledge.
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [4] Sork VL (1985), “Germination Response in a Large-Seeded Neotropical Tree Species, Gustavia superba (Lecythidaceae),” Biotropica 17:130–136.
- ↑ [5] “Phenology and Floral Biology of Gustavia superba (Lecythidaceae) in Central Panama,” original phenology and floral-biology study.
Image credits[edit | edit source]
- Gustavia superba fruits and seeds: Gustavia superba MHNT.BOT.2008.1.28.jpg, Muséum de Toulouse; uploader Ercé; CC BY-SA 3.0.
