ABOIRANA
(Pouteria venosa)

A tree of aboirana

Synonyms: Achras venosa, Lucuma venosa, Vitellaria venosa.

Family: Sapotaceae

Other names: Bapeba, bapega-pessago, guaca-de-leite, quebra serra.

Aboirana is a very little known fruit from tropical Northern South America. It is found in Guyana, Surinam and Brazil. However, it is also not a plant of very common occurrence. Aboirana is also believed to be native of that region. native.

                   Aboirana bears roundish fruits which are 6-8 cm wide.  The fruits are eaten but are not very popular.  This fruit is found only in wild yet and is not cultivated.

Description:

                  A medium sized evergreen tree, 12-24 m high, with dense green globose crown;

Bearing on aboirana tree

                 Leaves simple, chartaceous, concentrated on the ends of branches, bicoloured, glabrous, 7-21 cm long with 8-14 pairs of inconspicuous nerves, secondary nerves.

                 Inflorescences are in axillary fascicles on bare branches, flowers androgynous, 1-6 per fascicle.

                 Fruit a berry, 5-8 cm, skin brown, flesh yellow white, starcy, mildly sweet.

                 Seeds 1-3.

Utilization:

Fruits are edible and are just eaten out of hand.

Aboirana fruits

                  The fruits are not marketed and thus there does not seem to be much scope for the domestication of aboirana.

Cultivation:

The plant grows in wild only.  However, it can be propagated easily by seed.  It does not seem to be much frost hardy and will probably do best in a humid environment.