Platonia
| Platonia | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Eudicots |
| (unranked): | Rosids |
| Order: | Malpighiales |
| Family: | Clusiaceae |
| Subfamily: | Clusioideae |
| Tribe: | Platonieae |
| Genus: | Platonia |
| Species: | P. insignis |
| Binomial name | |
| Platonia insignis Mart. | |
| Synonyms | |
|
Aristoclesia esculenta Stuntz
| |
Platonia insignis, the sole species of the genus Platonia, is a tree of the family Clusiaceae native to South America in the humid forests of Brazil, Paraguay, parts of Colombia and northeast to Guyana; specially in Amazon Rainforest. Common names include bacuri (and numerous variant spellings thereof; bacurí, bacury, bakuri, pacuri, pakuri, pakouri, packoeri, pakoeri), maniballi, naranjillo and bacurizeiro.
There was a degree of nomenclatural confusion, caused by Moronobea esculenta. If that were validly published for this species the current name would be Platonia esculenta. It was established that Moronobea esculenta is not a formal name (not "validly published"), so the name remains Platonia insignis.
Description
Platonia insignis is a dry-season deciduous tree, reaching 25–40 m high. It has a pyramidal crown and copious yellow latex in the bark. The leaves are opposite, simple oblong to elliptic, 8–15 cm long, and glossy dark green, with wavy margins and a leathery texture.
The flowers are 5–7 cm long and pink in color, with five petals and numerous stamens. The fruit is round to oval and 7–14 cm long, with a thick, yellow skin. It resembles a papaya. The rind exudes a yellow latex when pressed.[1] The sticky white pulp is fragant, with a taste that is both sweet and sour. There are 3 to 5 seeds.
The White-bellied Parrot (Pionites leucogaster) is a pollinator of the plant, making it ornithophilous.[2]
Cultivation and uses
The bacuri is grown for its fruit, which is made into various condiments and beverages. It contains high levels of phosphorus, iron, and vitamin C. The oily brown seeds are used as a home remedy to treat skin conditions. Its yellowish wood is frequently used as timber.
Oil and butter of bacuri
The applications of this oil to herbal level is popularly widespread in Marajó island to be an effective remedy for spider bites, snakes, and treatment of skin problems and against earache besides being a miraculous remedy for rheumatism and arthritis.[3]
Bacuri butter gives a golden hue to the skin in a few minutes after application, it is absorbed and the skin gets a velvety touch, and remove stains and reduce scar-marks.[4]
Chemical composition of the butter and oil of Platonia
| Chemical and physical data of the bacuri oil | |
|---|---|
| Specific Gravity | 0.896 (40 °C) |
| Refractive index (40 °C) | 1.4570 |
| Saponification | 205.1000 |
| Iodine value | 47.0000 |
| Fatty acid composition of the oil bacuri | |
|---|---|
| Palmitic acid | 44.2% |
| Palmitoleic | 13.2% |
| Stearic | 2.3% |
| Oleic | 37.8% |
| Linoleic | 2.5% |
Chemistry
Platonia is a natural source of trioxygenated xanthones.[7] The latex contains resinotol.[8]
See also
- List of plants of Amazon Rainforest vegetation of Brazil
Notes
- ↑ Rogez, H., et al. (2004). Chemical composition of the pulp of three typical Amazonian fruits: araça-boi (Eugenia stipitata), bacuri (Platonia insignis) and cupuaçu (Theobroma grandiflorum). European Food Research and Technology 214(4) doi:10.1007/s00217-003-0853-6
- ↑ Cornell University Caique Glossary
- ↑ MANTEIGA BACURI – BACURI. http://www.amazonoil.com.br/produtos/manteigas/bacuri.htm
- ↑ MANTEIGA BACURI – BACURI. http://www.amazonoil.com.br/produtos/manteigas/bacuri.htm
- ↑ MORAIS, Luiz Roberto Barbosa. Produção de óleo de duas espécies amazônicas por prensagem: bacuri platonia insignis (mart.) e pracachy pentaclethra macroloba (willd). –Belém: Universidade Federal do Pará, 2005.
- ↑ Vanessa Fernandes de Araújo, Andrea Camila Petry, Rosângela Martinez Echeverria, Eric Costa Fernande e Floriano Pastore Jr. Plantas da Amazônia para Produção Cosmética. Brasília, junho, 2007.
- ↑ Peres, V. and T. J. Nagem. (1997). Trioxygenated naturally occurring xanthones. Phytochemistry 44(2) 191-214. doi:10.1016/S0031-9422(96)00421-9
- ↑ Platonia insignis on www.cefe.cnrs.fr
References
Further reading
- Clement, Charles (2006). "Platonia esculenta bacuri". In Jules Janick, Robert Paull. The Encyclopedia of Fruit and Nuts. Cambridge, MA: CABI. pp. 269–272. ISBN 9780851996387.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Platonia insignis. |
- ↑ MORAIS, Luiz Roberto Barbosa. Produção de óleo de duas espécies amazônicas por prensagem: bacuri platonia insignis (mart.) e pracachy pentaclethra macroloba (willd). –Belém: Universidade Federal do Pará, 2005.
- ↑ Vanessa Fernandes de Araújo, Andrea Camila Petry, Rosângela Martinez Echeverria, Eric Costa Fernandes e Floriano Pastore Jr. Plantas da Amazônia para Produção Cosmética. Brasília, junho, 2007.