Common Name: Pepino Do Mato

General Information

Pepino do mato is an evergreen shrub or small tree growing from 3 - 8 metres tall[]. The straight, cylindrical bole can be 15 - 20cm in diameter[]. A latex is produced in all parts of the plant[].
The tree is commonly harvested from the wild for local use as a food, medicine and source of wood. It is occasionally cultivated for its fruit[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru and the Guyanas.

Habitat

Dry forests of the lower Amazon[]. Found in lowland tropical rainforest also dense forest of the Guyanas and the Amazon. Both in primary forest and old secondary forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland moist tropics, where it is found at elevations from 200 - 400 metres[]. It grows best in areas where the temperate ranges between 22 - 30°c, tolerating a range from 20 - 32°c[]. It can succeed with a mean annual rainfall of 1,000 - 3,000mm, but grows best at 1,500 - 2,500mm, with either no dry season or a short dry season[].
Succeeds in full sun and in light shade[]. Grows best with some shade[].Requires a well-drained soil[]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 7, tolerating 4.5 - 7.5[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw or cooked like a vegetable[]. The fruits have a firm, semi-sweet, tasty pulp with few seeds[]. The fruits need to be scored, peeled and left in water for a short while in order to expel a latex[, ]. The fruit is a yellowy-brown, oblong, ellipsoid berry 10 - 12cm long and 6cm wide containing many seeds[].

Medicinal

The latex obtained from the stems and incised trunk is astringent[]. It is licked from the plant as a treatment for diarrhoea[].
The latex is used externally for treating cataracts of the eye and to accelerate healing of sores[].

A decoction of the bark is used as a treatment for dysentery and diarrhoea[].

The fruit is mildly purgative[]. It is eaten as a remedy for diarrhoea, whilst a jam made from the skinned fruit is used to treat dysentery[].

Other Uses

A latex exudes from all parts of the plant[].

The wood is fine-textured; straight-grained; moderately heavy, with moderate mechanical properties and moderately durable. It is only used for fuel and to make charcoal[].

Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a partially shaded position in a nursery seedbed. A low germination rate can be expected, with the seed sprouting within 30 - 50 days[].

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