Pouteria speciosa
| Pouteria speciosa | |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Pouteria speciosa [1] |
| Family | Sapotaceae [2] |
| Genus | Pouteria [2] |
| Order | Ericales [2] |
| Common name | Pajurá de Óbidos [3] |
| Native range | Amazon lowlands of Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and French Guiana [4] |
| Growth form | Evergreen rainforest tree with a small, globose crown [4] |
| Mature size | Reported at 20–40 m tall, with a 50–80 cm bole diameter [4] |
| Fruit and uses | Brown fruit with sweet, granular pulp; eaten raw [4] |
Pouteria speciosa is an accepted species in the Sapotaceae. It is an evergreen tree of non-inundated Amazonian lowland rainforest, where its locally popular fruit is eaten raw. [1][2][4]
Description[edit | edit source]
This species is described as a large evergreen tree with a small, globose crown. Reported trees reach 20–40 m, with a bole 50–80 cm in diameter. Its recorded range includes Brazil, Colombia, Guyana, and French Guiana, in non-inundated lowland rainforest. [4]
A 2008 account from the Santarém region identifies Pajurá de Óbidos as relatively rare around Óbidos. The account describes fruit being found beneath a tree and notes that two trees at Museu Goeldi in Belém were not fruiting at that time; this is a dated local observation, not a general reproductive limit for the species. [5]
Cultivation[edit | edit source]
Soil and water[edit | edit source]
The native setting is high, non-inundated terra firme rather than a floodplain. A habitat-based starting inference is an organic-matter-rich, moisture-retentive soil that still drains freely; keep the root zone out of standing water and do not treat the indexed soil description as a measured pH or irrigation prescription for every site. [6][4]
For a container or young tree, use a coarse structure that drains after heavy rain while retaining some organic matter. This is a practical translation of the terra firme habitat, not a species-specific container trial. Irrigation should replace drying that is prolonged enough to stress an evergreen rainforest tree, while drainage remains the priority after storms. [4]
Sun and humidity[edit | edit source]
The species account records success in shade and recommends sowing young plants in partial shade. Begin seedlings and recently transplanted plants in partial or filtered light, then increase exposure only as growth shows that the plant is adapting; no fixed full-sun threshold is established here. [4]
Warm, humid conditions are the sensible habitat-based starting point for establishment. In a dry indoor or marginal climate, protect young plants from abrupt exposure and desiccating air while maintaining enough airflow to keep wet foliage from remaining stagnant. The airflow recommendation is cultivation practice inferred from the rainforest setting, not a measured species tolerance. [4]
Seasonal changes[edit | edit source]
The recorded habitat is evergreen, non-inundated lowland rainforest, and a species-specific flowering or fruiting calendar is not asserted here. A habitat-based starting approach is to avoid imposing a cold or drought dormancy: keep young plants reasonably supplied during extended dry weather, then reduce irrigation after heavy rainfall rather than allowing the root zone to remain saturated. [4]
Amazon edible-fruit plants are frequently associated with bee pollination and sometimes beetle pollination, but that regional pattern does not identify the pollinator or seasonal response of P. speciosa. [7]
Propagation[edit | edit source]
Fresh seed is the documented method. Sow it as soon as the fruit is ripe, in individual containers and partial shade. Germination is described as low, with sprouting in 60–90 days; no germination percentage, seed-storage tolerance, scarification treatment, or transplant schedule is assigned. [4]
Use deep enough containers for a large-tree seedling and disturb the root ball as little as practical during potting-on. The container-depth and handling recommendations are cautious practice for a species reported to become a 20–40 m tree, not a measured root-architecture or transplant-sensitivity result. [4]
Flowering, fruiting, and harvest[edit | edit source]
The fruit is brown and subglobose, reaching about 9 cm, with sweet granular pulp and one large seed. It is eaten raw. No species-specific flowering season, pollination requirement, bearing-age range, or harvest calendar is assigned here. [4][7]
The Óbidos account illustrates that fruiting can vary between individual trees or sites: fruit was found beneath one tree, while two trees observed at Museu Goeldi were not producing fruit at that time. This single observation should not be used to predict juvenility, incompatibility, or permanent sterility. [5]
Fruit and uses[edit | edit source]
The fruit is locally popular and is described as edible raw, with sweet, granular pulp. A brown fruit may reach about 9 cm and contains one large seed. These sensory and size details come from a species account attributed to Lorenzi's Brazilian Trees volume 3; they are not a standardized cultivar quality description. [4]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ [3] Vocabulário de frutas comestíveis na Amazônia. Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi.
- ↑ [4] Pouteria speciosa. Useful Tropical Plants; account attributed to Lorenzi, Brazilian Trees, volume 3 (2009).
- ↑ [5] Tropical Biodiversity – Santarém – Pará – Brasil: Pajurá de Óbidos. Steven Winn Alexander, 13 February 2008.
- ↑ [6] Especies forestales productoras de frutas y otros alimentos: 3. Ejemplos de America Latina. FAO species-monograph series; indexed passage for Pouteria speciosa.
- ↑ [7] Edible Fruit Plant Species in the Amazon Forest Rely Mostly on Bees and Beetles as Pollinators. Journal of Economic Entomology (2020/2021).