CAMPOMANESIA EUGENIOIDES, CAMPOMANESIA GUAZUMAEFOLIA, CAMPOMANESIA GUAVIROBA AND CAMPOMANESIA XANTHOCARPA

POPULAR NAME: Guabiroba de cachorro or guabiroba da sombra (C. eugenioides), Guabiroba laranja or guaviroba (C. guaviroba), Sete Capotes or Guabiroba verde do Mato (C. guazumaefolia) and Guabiroba de arvore or Guabiroba do Mato (C. xanthocarpa)  

MYRTACEAE

 

 

INDIGENOUS NAME: Guabiroba comes from the Tupi Guarani and means "fruit of the bitter bark" and striking feature for anyone who chew the bark of fruit.

Origin: The 4 species of Guabirobas above, occur in the semideciduous forest (which loses leaves in winter) across the basin of the Paraná River and the Atlantic Forest of Espírito Santo to Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. 

Characteristics: These are medium-sized trees, reaching 4 to 10 m (13 to 33 feet) tall, trunk with yellowish bark which is detaching in thin slabs, with rounded crown. The leaves are simple, opposite and row in the case of C. guazumaefolia, with tufts in the axils of the veins in the case of C. xanthocarpa, wider in the case of C. guaviroba and more narrow and acuminate (with long and fine top) in the case of C. eugeniaefolia. The flowers are solitary or in pairs in the case of Sete capotes, axillary, white with 5 petals and many stamens (male small tubes) and yellow anthers (small glands).

Planted in Planted in the site of Frutas Raras: Guabiroba do Mato was planted in September 1998, Sete capotes in November 1999, Guaviroba laranja in January 2004 and Guabiroba do Mato in January 2005.

Tips for cultivation: A fast-growing tree that is resistant to frost to 0°C (32°), thrives well in every altitude. The soil may be deep, moist, neutral, with sandy or clay formation (red soil) and even stony, but must have good natural fertility. The tree begins to fruit from the age of 3 years in the case of Guabiroba de cachorro and the Sete Capotes and from  the age of 5 years in the case of Guabiroba laranja and the Guabiroba do Mato.

Propagation: The seeds are cream-colored, rounded, like a horseshoe and difficulty (germinative power loses in 4 days) to germinate 10 to 40 days, the seedlings grow rapidly if the substrate is rich in organic matter. After the planting the seedling grows between 60 cm  and 1 meter (2 to 3 feet) in the first year.

Planting:  Space of 5 x 5 m(17 x 17 feet) for the Guabiroba de Cachorro and the  Sete Capotes and 7 x 7 m (23 x 23 feet) for Guabiroba laranja and Guabiroba do Mato. Add 500 g of lime and 1 kg of ash and 8 liters of well mixed organic matter into the pit. Water every fifteen days during the first 3 months, then water is absent only at the time of bloom.

Cultivating: Make only form pruning of the crown and remove branches that were grown from the base of the trunk.  Fertilize with organic compost, may be (6 liters) poultry litter + 50 g of NPK 10-10-10 doubling that amount every year until the 4th year.

Uses: The fruit is consumed in-kind, used to make jellies, sorbets and delicious liqueurs. The trees should not miss in reforestation for permanent preservation, as its fruit feeds species of birds and other animals and the wood is of good quality for domestic works.

Flowering in the site of Frutas Raras: September to October for Guabirobas and January to February for the Sete Capotes.

Fruting in the site of Frutas Raras:  November to December for the  Guabiroba de Cachorro and Guabiroba laranja and January to March for the Guabiroba do Mato.

 

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