''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the West Indies.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> ''Caryocar'' consists of trees that yield a strong timber. Some of the species within the genus ''Caryocar'' have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts.Hoehne (1946) The most well-known species is probably the

Pekea-nut ''Caryocar nuciferum'', the butter-nut of Guiana, is also known as pekea-nut, or – like all other species of ''Caryocar'' with edible nuts – "souari-nut" or "sawarri-nut". It is a fruit tree native to northern Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Gu ...

(''C. nuciferum''). In Brazil the

Pequi ''Caryocar brasiliense'', known as pequi (, ) or "souari nut", like its congeners, is an edible fruit popular in some areas of Brazil, especially in Centerwestern Brazil. Taxonomy The pequi tree grows up to 10 m (30 ft) tall. It i ...

(''C. brasiliense'') is most popular; it has a variety of uses, not the least among them being the production of

pequi oil Pequi oil is a seed oil, extracted from the seeds of the '' Caryocar brasiliense'', which is native to Brazil. The pale yellow mesocarp oil is extracted and used directly as a cooking oil. In Brazil, there are projects among indigenous people groups ...

. Furthermore, some species are used by indigenous peoples to produce

poison Poison is a chemical substance that has a detrimental effect to life. The term is used in a wide range of scientific fields and industries, where it is often specifically defined. It may also be applied colloquially or figuratively, with a broa ...

s for hunting. ;Species # ''

Caryocar amygdaliferum ''Caryocar amygdaliferum'' is a plant native to the rain forests of the Choco region of Colombia and Panama. Its fruit consists of a spiny husk inside which a seed about three times the size of an almond develops. It has been used for similar ...

'' Mutis - Colombia, Panama # '' Caryocar amygdaliforme'' G.Don - Ecuador, N Peru # ''

Caryocar brasiliense ''Caryocar brasiliense'', known as pequi (, ) or "souari nut", like its congeners, is an edible fruit popular in some areas of Brazil, especially in Centerwestern Brazil. Taxonomy The pequi tree grows up to 10 m (30 ft) tall. It i ...

'' A.St.-Hil. - Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay # ''

Caryocar coriaceum ''Caryocar coriaceum'' is a species of plant in the Caryocaraceae family. It is endemic to Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin ...

'' Wittm. - N Brazil # '' Caryocar costaricense'' Donn.Sm. - Costa Rica # ''

Caryocar cuneatum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...

'' Wittm. - Brazil # ''

Caryocar dentatum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...

'' Gleason - NW Brazil, Bolivia # ''

Caryocar edule ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...

'' Casar. - Bahia, Rio de Janeiro # ''

Caryocar glabrum ''Caryocar glabrum'' is a species of tree in the family Caryocaraceae. It is native to South America. Chemical compounds Dihydroisocoumarin Dihydroisocoumarins are phenolic compounds related to isocoumarin. Dihydroisocoumarin glucosides can ...

'' (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil # ''

Caryocar microcarpum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...

'' Ducke - Lesser Antilles, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia # ''

Caryocar montanum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the Wes ...

'' Prance -

Guyana Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...

, Bolívar,

Roraima Roraima (, ) is one of the 26 states of Brazil. Located in the country's North Region, it is the northernmost and most geographically and logistically isolated state in Brazil. It is bordered by the state of Pará to the southeast, Amazonas ...

# '' Caryocar nuciferum'' L. -

, Butter-nut of Guinea -

St. Kitts Saint Kitts, officially the Saint Christopher Island, is an island in the West Indies. The west side of the island borders the Caribbean Sea, and the eastern coast faces the Atlantic Ocean. Saint Kitts and the neighbouring island of Nevis cons ...

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, N Brazil # ''

Caryocar pallidum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family (biology), family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending ...

'' A.C.Sm. - NW Brazil, S Venezuela, Bolivia # ''

Caryocar villosum ''Caryocar'' (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family (biology), family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Carl Linnaeus, Linnaeus in 1771. It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending ...

'' (Aubl.) Pers. - French Guiana, Venezuela, N Brazil, Colombia

References

External links

* (1946). ''Frutas Indígenas'' n Portuguese Instituto de Botânica da Secretaria de Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio de São Paulo.
photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Panama, ''Caryocar amygdaliferum''photo of ''Caryocar costaricense'', taken in Costa Rica by Reinaldo Aguilar
Malpighiales genera {{Malpighiales-stub