JARACATIA SPINOSA

NOME POPULAR: Jaracatiá, Mamão de espinho.  

Caricaceae

 

 

NAME: Jaracatiá, comes from the Tupi and means "fruit of the tree of stalk or soft trunk."

Origin: Altitude forests of the Atlantic Forest and the gallery of savannas from Minas Gerais to Rio Grande do Sul, Argentina, Paraguay and the Andes.

Characteristics: The tree grows up to 10 meters (33 feet) tall, has a conical crown, is dioecious or has male and female flowers on separate trees. The trunk is whitish and prickly. The leaves are looking palmate or like a hand with many fingers.  The flowers are small, whitish, the male appear in small bunches and female, formed separated in the axils of the leaves.

Planted in the site of Frutas Raras: August 2001 and further 2 trees in October 2002, bloomed for the first time in 2005, didn't bear fruit yet.

Tips for cultivation: Quickly growing plant, appreciates deep soils which are rich of organic matter, resistant to low temperatures to -1°C (30°F), thrives from sea level up to altitudes of 2,000 m (6,667 feet). Since there are male trees (unproductive) and female (productive) at least 3 individuals should grow.

Propagation: The seeds are small and germinate in 30 to 40 days under shaded environment and 50% of them fall into dormancy, germinate only at the end of spring. The seedlings grow rapidly and begin to bear fruit  in the age of 4 to 6 years, depending on weather conditions and fertilization.

Planting: 6 x 6 m of space between trees, grows well in full sun and in shaded woods. The holes must contain 40% organic matter and neutral pH, achieved with the incorporation of 3 kg of lime per hole, 2 months before planting.

Cultivating: The plant requires no pruning. The fertilization with organic compost is sufficient, can be (6 liters) poultry litter or organic compost + 50 grams of NPK 10-10-10, doubling that amount by the third year after planting, distributing them in the circles 50 cm (1 2/3 feet) away from the trunk.

Uses: The pulp is yellowish orange, resembling the flavor of passion fruit and mango, contain latex that burns the tongue and the lips of some sensitive people, so enjoy the fruits should be mature and can be eaten shell and all, but eating small amounts because of the laxative effect. Can also be used to make juices and sweets. The trunk is used to make a sweet similar to cocada.

Flowering in the site of Frutas Raras: October to December.

Fruiting in the site of Frutas Raras: February to March.

 

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