Cupuaçu
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| Cupuaçu | ||||||||||||||
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| Theobroma grandiflorum (Willd. ex Spreng.) K.Schum. |
Cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum), also spelled Cupuassu and Copoasu, is a tropical rainforest tree related to Cacao. Common throughout the Amazon basin, it is widely cultivated in the north of Brazil, with the largest production in Pará, followed by Amazonas, Rondônia and Acre.
Cupuaçu trees usually range from 5 to 15 meters (16 to 50 feet) in height, though some can reach 20 meters (65 feet). They have brown bark. Their leaves are 25–35 cm (10–14 in) long and 6–10 cm (2–4 in) across, with 9 or 10 pairs of veins. As they mature, their leaves change from pink-tinted to green, and eventually they begin bearing fruit. Cupuaçu fruits are oblong, brown, and fuzzy, 20 cm (8 in) long, 1–2 kg (2–4 lb) in weight, and covered with a thick (4–7 mm), hard exocarp.
The white pulp of the cupuaçu is uniquely fragrant, and it contains theacrine (1,3,7,9-tetramethyluric acid) instead of the xanthines (caffeine, theobromine, and theophylline) found in cacao.[1] It is frequently used in desserts, juices and sweets.
The wood is also commonly used for timber.
Cupuaçu supports a phylogenetically intriguing butterfly herbivore the "lagarta verde" Macrosoma tipulata (Hedylidae) which can be a serious defoliator [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Vasconcelos, M. N. L.; Silva, M. L. da, Maia, J. G. S., and Gottlieb, O. R. (1975). "Estudo químico de sementes do cupuaçu" (in Portuguese) (PDF). Acta Amazonica 5: 293–295.
- ^ Lourido, G., Silva, N.M., Motta, C.S. 2007. Biological parameters and damage by Macrosoma tipulata Hübner (Lepidoptera: Hedylidae), in Cupuaçu tree [Theobroma grandiflorum (Wild ex Spreng Schum)] in Amazonas, Brazil. Neotropical Entomology, 36(1):102-106.
