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''Couroupita guianensis'', known by a variety of common names including cannonball tree, is a
deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
tree In botany, a tree is a perennial plant with an elongated stem, or trunk, usually supporting branches and leaves. In some usages, the definition of a tree may be narrower, including only woody plants with secondary growth, plants that are ...
in the
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
family
Lecythidaceae The Lecythidaceae comprise a family of about 20 genera and 250–300 species of woody plants native to tropical South America, Africa (including Madagascar), Asia and Australia. The most important member of the family in world trade is the B ...
. It is native to the
tropical forest Tropical forests (a.k.a. jungle) are forested landscapes in tropical regions: ''i.e.'' land areas approximately bounded by the tropic of Cancer and Capricorn, but possibly affected by other factors such as prevailing winds. Some tropical fore ...
s of
Central Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object. Central may also refer to: Directions and generalised locations * Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
and
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 sout ...
, and it is cultivated in many other tropical areas throughout the world because of its beautiful, fragrant flowers and large, interesting fruits. Fruits are brownish grey. There are potential medicinal uses for many parts of ''Couroupita guianensis'', and the tree has cultural and religious significance in
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. In Sri Lanka, the cannonball tree has been widely misidentified as Sal, after its introduction to the island by the British in 1881, and has been included as a common item in
Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...
temples as a result.


Description

''Couroupita guianensis'' is a tree that reaches heights of up to . The leaves, which occur in clusters at the ends of branches, are usually 8 to 31 centimeters (3 to 12 inches) long, but can reach lengths of up to .Prance, G. T. & S. A. Mori
''Couroupita guianensis'' Aubl.
New York Botanical Garden. 2013.


Flowers

The flowers are borne in racemes up to long. Some trees flower profusely until the entire trunk is covered with racemes. One tree can hold as many as 1000 flowers per day. The flowers are strongly scented, and are especially fragrant at nightBrown, S. H
''Couroupita guianensis''.
University of Florida IFAS Extension.
and in the early morning. They are up to in diameter, with six petals, and are typically brightly colored, with the petals ranging from shades of pink and red near the bases to yellowish toward the tips. There are two areas of stamens: a ring of stamens at the center, and an arrangement of stamens that have been modified into a hood.


Fruits

The fruits are spherical with a woody shell and reach diameters of up to , giving the species the common name "cannonball tree". Smaller fruits may contain about 65 seeds, while large ones can hold as many as 550. One tree can bear 150 fruits. The fruits take up to a year to mature in most areas, sometimes as long as 18 months. The fruit flesh is white and turns blue upon oxidation, a reaction with air.


Scientific name

The tree was named ''Couroupita guianensis'' by the French botanist
Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet Jean Baptiste Christophore Fusée Aublet (November 4, 1720 – May 6, 1778) was a French pharmacist, botanist and one of the earliest botanical explorers in South America.JSTOR He was one of the first botanists to study ethnobotany in the Neotr ...
in 1775. The Latin specific epithet ''guianensis'' means "of the Guianas" (an area of north eastern South America).


Pollination

Although the flowers lack nectar, they are very attractive to bees, which come for the pollen. The flowers produce two types of pollen: fertile pollen from the ring stamens, and sterile pollen from the hood structure. The pollinators must work their way between the two areas of stamens as they gather the pollen. The
carpenter bee Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant m ...
''
Xylocopa brasilianorum Carpenter bees are species in the genus ''Xylocopa'' of the subfamily Xylocopinae. The genus includes some 500 bees in 31 subgenera. The common name "carpenter bee" derives from their nesting behavior; nearly all species burrow into hard plant ma ...
'' is a common pollinator of cultivated trees in
Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a ...
, just outside the tree's native range. Other carpenter bees such as '' Xylocopa frontalis'', as well as
wasp A wasp is any insect of the narrow-waisted suborder Apocrita of the order Hymenoptera which is neither a bee nor an ant; this excludes the broad-waisted sawflies (Symphyta), which look somewhat like wasps, but are in a separate suborder. ...
s,
flower flies Hover flies, also called flower flies or syrphid flies, make up the insect family Syrphidae. As their common name suggests, they are often seen hovering or nectaring at flowers; the adults of many species feed mainly on nectar and pollen, while ...
, and bumblebees, are also known to visit the flowers.


Dispersal

The seeds are dispersed by animals that feed on the fruits. When the fruits fall to the ground, the hard, woody shell usually cracks open, exposing the pulp and seeds. Fruits that remain whole may be broken open by animals such as
peccaries A peccary (also javelina or skunk pig) is a medium-sized, pig-like hoofed mammal of the family Tayassuidae (New World pigs). They are found throughout Central and South America, Trinidad in the Caribbean, and in the southwestern area of North ...
. Many animals feed on the pulp and seeds, including peccaries, the
paca A paca is a member of the genus ''Cuniculus'' of ground-dwelling, herbivorous rodents in South and Central America. It is the only genus in the family Cuniculidae. Pacas are large rodents with dots and stripes on their sides, short ears, and ...
, and domestic chickens and pigs. The seeds are covered with
trichome Trichomes (); ) are fine outgrowths or appendages on plants, algae, lichens, and certain protists. They are of diverse structure and function. Examples are hairs, glandular hairs, scales, and papillae. A covering of any kind of hair on a p ...
s which may protect them as they pass through the animals' digestive systems.


Human uses

''Couroupita guianensis'' is planted as an ornamental for its showy, scented flowers, and as a botanical specimen for its interesting fruit. The fruit is edible, but is not usually eaten by people because, in contrast to its intensely fragrant flowers, it can have an unpleasant smell.Lim, T. K
''Couroupita guianensis''.
In: ''Edible Medicinal and Nonmedicinal Plants. Volume 3: Fruits.'' Springer. 2012.
It is fed to livestock such as pigs and domestic fowl. Parts of the plant have been used in traditional medicine. It has been used to treat hypertension, tumors, pain, and inflammation, the common cold, stomachache, skin conditions and wounds,
malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or death. S ...
, and toothache, although data on its efficacy are lacking.


Cultural significance

In India, the tree is sacred to
Hindu Hindus (; ) are people who religiously adhere to Hinduism. Jeffery D. Long (2007), A Vision for Hinduism, IB Tauris, , pages 35–37 Historically, the term has also been used as a geographical, cultural, and later religious identifier for ...
s, who believe its hooded flowers look like the
nāga The Nagas (IAST: ''nāga''; Devanāgarī: नाग) are a divine, or semi-divine, race of half-human, half-serpent beings that reside in the netherworld (Patala), and can occasionally take human or part-human form, or are so depicted in art. ...
, and it is grown at Shiva temples.Al-Dhabi, N. A., et al. (2012)
Antimicrobial, antimycobacterial and antibiofilm properties of ''Couroupita guianensis'' Aubl. fruit extract.
''BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine'' 12 242–50.
The cannonball tree has since then been planted at Buddhist and Hindu religious sites in Asia in the belief that it is the tree of sacred scriptures. In Sri Lanka, Thailand and other Theravada Buddhist countries it has been planted at Buddhist monasteries and other religious sites.


Gallery

Image:Flower of couroupita guianensis.jpg, A flower (
Singapore Botanic Gardens The Singapore Botanic Gardens is a -year-old tropical garden located at the fringe of the Orchard Road shopping district in Singapore. It is one of three gardens, and the only tropical garden, to be honoured as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. T ...
) Image:Naglingam (Couroupita guianensis) young leaves in Hyderabad, AP W IMG 6606.jpg, Leaves (Hyderabad, India) Image:নাগলিঙ্গম ফুলের কলি.jpg, Inflorescences with flowers in bud (Dhaka, Bangladesh) Image:Cannonball tree flower buds.JPG, Flower buds close up (Maharashtra, India) Image:Canonball Flower P1030858.JPG, Flowers Image:Couroupita guianensis fleur en coupe.jpg, Flower in longitudinal section showing ovary (Jardín Botánico de Cienfuegos, Cuba) Image:Couroupita_guianensis_fruits.JPG, Fruits (Tamil Nadu, India) Image:Couroupita_guianensis_m6d_(10).JPG, Fallen fruit and dried fruit rind (Kolkata, India) Image:Cannonball tree (Couroupita guianensis) trunk.jpg, Tree trunk (Kolkata, India)


References


External links

* {{Taxonbar, from=Q161823 Lecythidaceae Trees of Cuba Trees of Costa Rica Trees of Panama Trees of French Guiana Trees of Guyana Trees of Suriname Trees of Venezuela Trees of Brazil Trees of Colombia Trees of Ecuador Trees of Peru Least concern plants Plants described in 1775 Medicinal plants