Caryocar

Caryocar (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the West Indies.

Caryocar consists of trees that yield a strong timber. Some of the species within the genus Caryocar have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts. The most well-known species is probably the Pekea-nut (C. nuciferum). In Brazil the Pequi (C. brasiliense) is most popular; it has a variety of uses, not the least among them being the production of pequi oil. Furthermore, some species are used by indigenous peoples to produce poisons for hunting. Species Caryocar amygdaliferum Mutis - Colombia, Panama Caryocar amygdaliforme G.Don - Ecuador, N Peru Caryocar brasiliense A.St.-Hil. - Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. - N Brazil Caryocar costaricense Donn.Sm. - Costa Rica Caryocar cuneatum Wittm. - Brazil Caryocar dentatum Gleason - NW Brazil, Bolivia Caryocar edule Casar. - Bahia, Rio de Janeiro Caryocar glabrum (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil Caryocar microcarpum Ducke - Lesser Antilles, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia Caryocar montanum Prance - Guyana, Bolívar, Roraima Caryocar nuciferum L. - Pekea-nut, Butter-nut of Guinea - St. Kitts, St. Vincent, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, N Brazil Caryocar pallidum A.C.Sm. - NW Brazil, S Venezuela, Bolivia Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Venezuela, N Brazil, Colombia