Borojoa patinoi

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Borojó
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Order: Gentianales
Suborder: Rubiineae
Family: Rubiaceae
Subfamily: Cordieroideae
Tribe: Alibertieae
Genus: Borojoa
Species: B. patinoi
Binomial name
Borojoa patinoi
Cuatrecasas 1948

Borojoa patinoi, commonly known as Borojó, is a mid sized (3 to 5m) Tropical forest tree that belongs to the Rubiaceae family. It grows in the northwest area of Colombia in the Chocó Department, in areas of high humidity (over 85%) and an average temperature of 28°C, both in the wild and on local farms.

Borojó is an embera word meaning: boro = head, ne-jo = fruit. Head-shaped fruit, or round, globulous fruit.

[edit] Fruit features

The fruit is large (about 12 cm length) with a round shape and brown color and average weight 740-1000 grs. The pulp represents 88% of the total weight. Each fruit has 90 to 640 seeds. Borojo has high levels of protein, phosphorus, ascorbic acid, calcium and iron. [1]

Borojo is used in the preparation of jam, wine, desserts and traditional medicines with supposed aphrodisiac effects. It is also used by the local communities against hypertension, bronchial diseases and malnutrition.

[edit] Classification

Borojoa sorbilis is a very similar species, also used with commercial purposes. Borojó de la Amazonia (Amazonas borojo), Duroia maguirei, is a wild species in a different Rubiaceae genus, which grows up to 8m and has a smaller edible fruit. Claes Persson (1999)

The DNA studies of samples from several Rubiaceae genus, have shown that Borojoa is closely related to Alibertia, in particular Alibertia edulis. Fifteen other species such as Alibertia sessulis, Alibertia beertierifolia and the Stacyarrhena and Glossotipula genus also have similarities.

[edit] References

  • Cuatrecasas, José 1948: "Borojoa, un nuevo género de Rubiáceas"; Revista de La Academia Colombiana de Ciencias Exactas Físicas y Naturales VII (28): 474-477. Bogotá.
  • Cuatrecasas, José y Víctor Manuel Patiño 1949: Una nueva fruta tropical americana: el borojó. Secretaría de Agricultura y Ganadería. Servicio de Divulgación. Serie Botánica Aplicada. Año II. N°. 5. Cali. Imprenta Departamental.
  • Persson, Claes 2000: "Phylogeny of the Neotropical Alibertia group (Rubiaceae), with emphasis on the genus Alibertia, inferred from ITS and 5S ribosomal DNA sequences"; American Journal of Botany 87:1018-1028.
  • Robbrecht, E., and C. Puff. 1986: "A survey of the Gardenieae and related tribes (Rubiaceae)"; Botanische Jahrbücher für Systematik, Pflanzengeschichte und Pflanzengeographie 108: 63–137.
  • Schumann, K. 1891: "Rubiaceae"; Die natürlichen Pflanzenfamilien 4(4): 1–154; A. Engler and K. Prantl [eds.], Engelmann, Leipzig, Germany.