Jabuticaba | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Rosids |
Order: | Myrtales |
Family: | Myrtaceae |
Genus: | Plinia |
Species: | P. cauliflora
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Binomial name | |
Plinia cauliflora (
Mart.) Kausel
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Synonyms [2] | |
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Jabuticaba (Brazilian Portuguese: [ʒabutʃiˈkabɐ]), also spelled Jaboticaba, [3] is the edible fruit of the jabuticabeira (Plinia cauliflora) or Brazilian grapetree. The purplish-black, white-pulped fruit grows directly on the trunk of the tree, making it an example of ' cauliflory'. It is eaten raw or used to make jellies, jams, juice or wine. [4] The tree, of the family Myrtaceae, is native to the states of Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais, Goiás and São Paulo in Brazil. [5] [6] Related species in the genus Myrciaria, often referred to by the same common names, are native to Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Peru and Bolivia. [7]
The name jabuticaba derives from the Tupi word îaboti Lusitanized jaboti/jabuti (tortoise) + kaba (place), meaning "the place where tortoises are found"; [8] it has also been interpreted to mean 'like turtle fat', referring to the fruit's white pulp. [9] [10] [11] It could also derive from ïapotï'kaba meaning "fruits in a bud". [12]
The Guarani name is yvapurũ: yva means fruit and the onomatopoeic word purũ, from pururũ, [13] describes the crunching sound the fruit produces when bitten. [14]
The tree is a slow-growing evergreen that can reach a height of 15 meters if not pruned. The leaves are salmon-pink when young, turning green as they mature. [15]
The tree prefers moist, rich, lightly acidic soil. It is widely adaptable, however, and grows satisfactorily even on alkaline beach-sand type soils, so long as it is tended and irrigated. Its flowers are white and grow directly from its trunk in a cauliflorous habit. [16] In its native habitat jaboticabeiras may flower and fruit 5-6 times throughout the year. Jabuticabeira are tropical to subtropical plants and can tolerate mild, brief frosts, not below 26 °F (-3 °C). [9]
The tree has a compact, fibrous root system, that makes it suitable for growing in pots or transplanting. [17]
The fruit is a thick-skinned berry and typically measures 3–4 cm in diameter. The fruit resembles a slip-skin grape. It has a thick, purple, astringent skin that encases a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. Embedded within the flesh are one to four large seeds, which vary in shape depending on the species. [18] Jabuticaba seeds are recalcitrant and they become unviable within 10 days when stored at room temperature. [19]
In Brazil, the fruit of several related species, including Myrciaria tenella and Plinia peruviana, share the same common name. [20]
Jabuticaba has been cultivated in Brazil since pre-Columbian times. Today it is commercial crop in the center and south of the country. [21]
Commercial cultivation of the fruit in the northern hemisphere is more restricted by slow growth and the short shelf-life of fruit than by temperature requirements. [22] Grafted plants may bear fruit in five years, while seed-grown trees may take 10 to 20 years to bear fruit. [19]
Jabuticabeiras are fairly adaptable to various kinds of growing conditions, tolerating sand or rich topsoil. They are intolerant of salty soils or salt spray. [23] They are tolerant of mild drought, though fruit production may be reduced, and irrigation will be required in extended or severe droughts. [20]
Jabuticabeiras are vulnerable to the rust, Austropuccinia psidii. [24] particularly when the tree flowers during heavy rain. Other important diseases that affect jabuticabeiras are canker ( Colletotrichum gloeosporioides), dieback ( Rosellinia), and fruit rot ( Botrytis cinerea). [25]
Common in Brazilian markets, jabuticabas are largely eaten fresh. [26] Fruit may begin to ferment 3 to 4 days after harvest, so it is often used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs. Due to the short shelf-life, fresh jabuticaba is rare in markets outside areas of cultivation. [21]
The fruit has been compared to Muscadine grapes, [17] and in Japan the flavor of jabuticaba has been described as similar to that of Kyoho grapes. [27]
Their slow growth and small size when immature make jabuticabeiras popular as bonsai or container ornamental plants in temperate regions. [28] It is a widely used bonsai species in Taiwan and parts of the Caribbean. [29]
The jabuticabeira appears as a charge on the coat of arms of Contagem, Minas Gerais, Brazil. [31]
In Brazilian politics, and less commonly in everyday speech, "jabuticaba" is a slang that describes a political or legal setting that is considered absurd, unusual, or needlessly complex, among others, that could only exist in a country like Brazil. It is a reference to the popular wisdom that jabuticaba trees can only grow in Brazil. [32] [33]
A number of similar species of plant in the family Myrtaceae produce fruit that is also known by the common name Jabuticaba. [20] [26]
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"Existe só no Brasil e não é jabuticaba? Não presta". Poucos ditados concentram tão bem, em mensagem tão convincente, uma ideia tão equivocada. Translation: "Does it exist only in Brazil and is it not a jabuticaba? It is no good."