Common Name:

General Information

Campsiandra implexicaulis is a tree with a spreading crown; it can grow from 8 - 12 metres tall[]. The main branches often lean over, nearly to the ground, and there are usually multiple trunks that often intertwist[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food - it is a staple food of the Pumé Amerindian group in Apure State, Venezuela[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil, Venezuela

Habitat

Low, swampy riparian habitats along the larger-bodied, usually white-water to tea-coloured rivers and lagoons[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Tree
Height	10.00 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The seed has a circular, spongy wing encircling it that enables it to float on the surface of the water[].

Edible Uses

Seed - cooked[]. The dried seed is ground into a flour, known as 'chigo flour' and used to make a range of foods[]. The mature seeds are taken out of their seedpods and then buried for some time in damp soil. After a certain degree of fermentation has set in, they are dug up, washed and then pounded into a flour. The flour (which is rich in starch) is used for making bread and other foods[]. The flattened to compressed seedpod can be 19 - 27cm long and 5 - 6cm wide. The dark red-brown, elliptic to kidney-shaped seeds are around 4cm x 5cm[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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