Common Name: Carguero de Vara

General Information

Oxandra asbeckii is an evergreen shrub or a tree growing from 4 - 25 metres tall with a trunk 5 - 25cm in diameter[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food and source of wood.
Oxandra asbeckii is widespread and native to much of northern South America. The species is abundant in herbarium collections and no major threats are reported, although there may be some local decline due to deforestation activities. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2021)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas

Habitat

Non-inundated rainforest, Wallaba forest, low caatinga forest, campinarana (with a layer of litter and humus of 10 - 30 cm deep), or rarely inundated forest, growing on brown sands, white sands or on lateritic soils; at elevations up to 800 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	12.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Plants can thrive in nutrient-poor white sandy soils[].

Edible Uses

Fruit. The mature fruit has a taste somewhat like that of dates[]. The fruit is composed of 1 - 7, purple to black, ellipsoid monocarps around 15 - 30mm long and 8 - 14mm wide[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The wood is used for making ‘carbets’ and ‘takari’ poles[]. (A carbet is a wooden shelter with a pitched roof but without walls, typical of several native American cultures in S. America and the Caribbean)

Propagation

Seed -

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