2024 Author: Gavin MacAdam | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:38
Brazilian plum (Latin Spondias tuberosa) - a fruit crop representing the Sumakhovye family.
Description
The Brazilian plum is a small, low-branched woody plant that is the closest relative of Ambarella. The height of these trees rarely exceeds the mark of four to five meters, but their crowns can easily stretch up to ten meters in diameter. And the smooth bark of a plant can be painted in both yellow and greenish tones.
The Brazilian plum blooms with white flowers consisting of four to five petals. And the elliptical fruits of this culture are colored in pleasant yellowish-greenish tones and reach a length of two to four centimeters. Such fruits form and ripen mainly at the ends of the branches. All of them boast a pleasant sweet taste that is somewhat reminiscent of the taste of an orange, while unripe fruits will always be sour. Each fruit is covered with a fairly tough and thick skin - it accounts for about 22% of the total weight of the fruit.
The pulp of the fruit is incredibly tender and very sweet, and in its very center there is a single bone conveniently located.
Despite such an original name, the Brazilian plum does not consist of an ordinary plum, even in a distant relationship - it belongs to a completely different family and genus. True, outwardly it is still very similar to the plum we are used to.
Where grows
The wild Brazilian plum is most often seen in Brazil - especially in areas with arid tropical climate. And it is almost impossible to meet this plant in culture, however, not so long ago it began to be grown in Florida and Malaysia.
Since the Brazilian plum is rarely found in culture, the fruits are harvested mainly from wild species - by the way, this is the main source of income for many small farmers.
Application
Compotes and preserves are cooked from the pulp of the Brazilian plum, juice is squeezed out, and confitures and jams are made. These fruits are preserved no less often.
At the moment, the chemical composition of the Brazilian plum has not yet been sufficiently studied, but the first research results make it clear that this plant can be used as an oilseed crop - the seeds of the Brazilian plum contain up to 55% oil. And in the pulp of the fruit, a very high content of vitamin C was found. In addition, the Brazilian plum is very rich in fiber (it is up to 68% in each fruit), which means that it can bring considerable benefits to digestion. Currently, experts continue to study both the composition of the pulp of the Brazilian plum and the composition of its seeds.
Contraindications
At present, no special contraindications to the use of the fruits of this culture have been identified, but individual intolerance should not be completely ruled out. And you shouldn't abuse an unfamiliar fruit either.
Growing and caring
The Brazilian plum tolerates frosts up to minus three degrees quite easily. It tolerates periods of drought just as well - its roots can store up to three tons of water! By the way, this property allows the local population to use them as well - for them these roots are a valuable source of moisture.
However, both during drought and cold snaps, the Brazilian plum tends to shed its leaves. At the same time, even wild trees can boast of impressive productivity - for each season, one tree can produce up to three hundred kilograms of fruit. What can we say about cultural specimens - some of them are so fertile that after the fruits fall from the trees, a luxurious yellow carpet forms below. And this culture usually bears fruit from September to March.
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