Caryocar nuciferum L.

  • Authority

    Prance, Ghillean T. & Frietas Da Silva, Marlene. 1973. Caryocaraceae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 12: 1-75. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Caryocaraceae

  • Scientific Name

    Caryocar nuciferum L.

  • Type

    TYPE. F. Allamand s n, Guyana, Essequibo & Berbice (not seen).

  • Synonyms

    Pekea tuberculosa Aubl., Rhizobulus tuberculosus (Aubl.) J.F.Gmel., Rhizobulus pekea Gaertn., Caryocar tomentosum Willd., Amygdala guayanensis Clus.

  • Description

    Description - Large tree to 45.0 m tall, the young branches glabrous. Leaves trifoliolate, petioles 4.0-9.0(-15.0) cm long, terete to flattened, glabrous; leaflets petiolulate, the terminal petiolule 7.0-20.0 mm long, the lateral petiolules about equal to the center one; petiolules glabrous, shallowly canaliculate; the laminas elliptic, acuminate at apex, the acumen 5.0-15.0 mm long, entire to weakly crenate at margins, rounded to subcuneate at base, glabrous on both surfaces, the terminal lamina 12.0-30.0 cm long, 6.0-18.0 cm broad, the lateral laminas equal or slightly smaller than the terminal one; primary veins 8-13 pairs, plane above, prominent beneath; venation prominulous beneath; stipels absent. Peduncles 6.0-10.0 cm long, glabrous, sparsely lenticellate towards base. Inflorescences clustered racemes; the rachis 1.0-4.5 cm long, glabrous; flowering pedicels 4.0-6.0 cm long, 5.0-8.0 cm thick, glabrous, ebracteolate. Calyx campanulate, ca 2.0 cm long, glabrous on exterior, the lobes 5, rounded. Corolla ca 6.0-7.0 cm long, elliptic, glabrous, deep red on exterior, paler within. Stamens extremely numerous, over 700, the filaments caducous as a unit, united at base up to 2.0 mm, and then dividing into fused groups before becoming free above, the outer ones 7.0-8.5 cm long including base, yellow, the apical portion tuberculate, with many shorter inner filaments from 3.5 cm long and of all intermediate sizes, the inner filaments tuberculate at apex only, the anthers small. Ovary globose, 4-locular, glabrous on exterior. Styles 4, filamentous, 8.0-9.0 cm long, glabrous. Fruit subglobose to sublobate, to 15.0 cm long; exocarp glabrous, lenticellate; pericarp very thick and fleshy, detaching from mesocarp and endocarp; the mesocarp and endocarp enveloping seed to form a large stone ca 7.0 cm broad, 5.0 cm long, the mesocarp becoming lignified and hard, the exterior undulate with short rounded tubercules; endocarp with tuberculate exterior and hard thin woody interior ca 1.0 mm thick; with 1-2 subreniform seeds only developing.

  • Discussion

    This species is easily recognized from the other species of Caryocar since both the flowers and the fruit are very much larger.

    Linnaeus refers to Allamand twice in his description of C. nuciferum, and the material described by Linnaeus was undoubtedly an Allamand collection. Allamand material was deposited in the Linnaean herbarium, and since there is no specimen of C. nuciferum in that herbarium the whereabouts of the type is unknown to me.

    Part of Aublet’s species Pekea tuberculosa is certainly synonymous with C. nuciferum. The fruit of C. nuciferum is quite distinct from any other fruit of this genus and is certainly that illustrated by Aublet for Pekea tuberculosa. There is no fruit with the Aublet herbarium material at the British Museum, and the leaves of P. tuberculosa are certainly not those of any species of Caryocaraceae. Pekea tuberculosa was described from a mixed collection. I have so far not been able to match the Aublet leaves but they are probably Bombacaceae or Sterculiaceae. Later authors increased the synonymy of this species by creating 3 other names for Pekea tuberculosa of Aublet. These names are cited above in the synonomy of C. nuciferum.

    Collected in flower from September to February.

  • Common Names

    Almendra, Almendro, Kola, Sawarie, Souari, Sowari, Fireberoe, Hóera, Kola, Ingi notto, Oera, Sawali, Soearie, Sawari-noot, Souari nut, Butter nut

  • Distribution

    Native of the primary forests of the Guianas and adjacent Venezuela and Brazil, but also cultivated outside this range.

    Saint Kitts and Nevis South America| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines South America| Venezuela South America| Delta Amacuro Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Trinidad and Tobago South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| Brazil South America| Roraima Brazil South America|