''Carapa'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...

of flowering plants in the mahogany family,

Meliaceae Meliaceae, the mahogany family, is a flowering plant family of mostly trees and shrubs (and a few herbaceous plants, mangroves) in the order Sapindales. They are characterised by alternate, usually pinnate leaves without stipules, and by syncar ...

. These are trees up to 30 meters tall occurring in tropical

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sou ...

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

,Hogan, C. M. 2008
Isthmian-Atlantic moist forests.
Encyclopedia of Earth, World Wildlife Fund, National Council of Science and the Environment. and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

. Common names include andiroba and crabwood.

Diversity

The list of species within this genus is still under discussion. Generally recognized species are: *''

Carapa guianensis ''Carapa guianensis'' is a species of tree in the family Meliaceae, also known by the common names andiroba or crabwood. Description Andiroba is native to the Amazon and is widely used by the indigenous populations of the northern region o ...

'' (andiroba, crabwood): Amazon Region, Central America, Caribbean *'' Carapa megistocarpa'' (tangare): Ecuador *'' Carapa procera'' (African crabwood, kowi, okoto): West Africa, the Congos Other proposed species: *'' Carapa akuri'' *'' Carapa alticola'' *'' Carapa longipetala'' *'' Carapa nicaraguensis'' *'' Carapa vasquezii''

Uses

The

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into dimensional lumber, including beams and planks or boards, a stage in the process of wood production. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, w ...

is important, and oil is produced from the

seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiosper ...

s. The name andiroba is from Nheengatu ''nhandi rob'', meaning "bitter oil". ''Carapa guianensis'' produces oil similar to

neem oil Neem oil, also known as margosa oil, is a vegetable oil pressed from the fruits and seeds of the neem (''Azadirachta indica''), a tree which is indigenous to the Indian subcontinent and has been introduced to many other areas in the tropics. It ...

. The oil contained in the almond andiroba is light yellow and extremely bitter. When subjected to a temperature below 25 °C, it solidifies producing a consistency like that of petroleum jelly. The oil contains

olein Triolein is a symmetrical triglyceride derived from glycerol and three units of the unsaturated fatty acid oleic acid. Most triglycerides are unsymmetrical, being derived from mixtures of fatty acids. Triolein represents 4–30% of olive oil. Tri ...

, palmitine and

glycerin Glycerol (), also called glycerine in British English and glycerin in American English, is a simple triol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is sweet-tasting and non-toxic. The glycerol backbone is found in lipids known ...

. Andiroba oil is one of the most commonly sold medicinal oils in the Amazon. It is also used to repel mosquitoes by forming an oilseed cake into balls and burned, or mixed with

annatto Annatto ( or ) is an orange-red condiment and food coloring derived from the seeds of the achiote tree ('' Bixa orellana''), native to tropical America. It is often used to impart a yellow or orange color to foods, but sometimes also for its f ...

(''Bixa orellana'') and formed into a paste applied topically to protect the body from mosquito bites. Andiroba oil is extracted from light brown seeds collected from beaches and rivers, where they float after being shed by the trees or from the forest ground. Crabwood virgim oil

References

External links

Carapa.org - information about genus ''Carapa''
Meliaceae genera Trees of Africa Trees of Guyana Plant toxin insecticides Crops originating from South America Taxa named by Jean Baptiste Christian Fusée-Aublet {{rosid-tree-stub