Umbu

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Umbu
Vista do pé de Umbú - panoramio.jpg

Umbu ( Spondias tuberosa )

Systematics
Rosids
Eurosiden II
Order : Sapindales (Sapindales)
Family : Sumac family (Anacardiaceae)
Genre : Spondias
Type : Umbu
Scientific name
Spondias tuberosa
Arruda
Three-year sapling of Spondias tuberosa with tubers
Umbu fruit

The umbu is the fruit of the tree species Spondias tuberosa or of the umbuzeiros (Umbu tree), a plant species from the genus of the mombin plums ( Spondias ) in the sumac family (Anacardiaceae). It is a species found exclusively in Brazil .

The name "Umbu" has its origin in the expression " y-mb-u " in the Tupí language , which means something like the tree that gives water .

description

The roots of the tree have tubers as a xeromorphic adaptation, which serve as storage organs for water , carbohydrates and minerals . This adaptation is essential for the often deciduous tree to survive the dry season. The heavily branched tree with a spreading crown is up to 8-10 meters tall and has a short, stocky trunk with a diameter of about 40-60 centimeters. The bark is relatively smooth and grayish.

The stalked and imparipinnate leaves are up to 17 centimeters long, with a petiole up to 5 centimeters long. The almost sessile, 3–9 mostly entire to serrated, slightly leathery leaves are 5–6.5 inches long and 2.5–3.5 inches wide. They are lighter underneath and ovoid to elliptical or obovate. The tip is rounded or blunt to edged or pointed and pointed to pointed. The nerve is pinnate with a lighter central vein that is raised underneath. The leaflets are often folded in and the leaf margin may be ciliated or thickened.

Spondias tuberosa is hermaphroditic and protandric and sometimes andromonocial , so male and hermaphrodite flowers can be found on an individual. The hairy inflorescences are terminal and paniculate . The small, five-fold and stalked flowers are white and have a double flower envelope . There are small cover sheets on the spindle and on the side axes . The chalice is very small with 5 lobes. The 5 white, egg-shaped to lanceolate petals are spreading or recessed. The 8–10 stamens have whitish stamens. There is a small, yellowish discus . The ovary is on top, with several conical styles .

The small, round to ellipsoidal, mostly solitary stone fruits are yellow-green in color, have a leathery, mostly smooth to slightly nubby skin and have a sweet and sour taste. They are 3–4 inches tall with a fleshy, gelatinous mesocarp .

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 32.

distribution

The Umbu is endemic from the semi-arid northeast of Brazil , present in the states of Piauí , Ceará , Rio Grande do Norte , Paraíba , Pernambuco , Alagoas , Sergipe , Bahia and in the north of Minas Gerais .

use

The fruits are used raw or cooked. The light and soft wood can be used for various applications.

literature

  • J. Mitchell, DC Daly: A revision of Spondias L. (Anacardiaceae) in the Neotropics. In: PhytoKeys. 55, 2015, pp. 1–92, at pp. 54–57, fig. 2, 15, 16, doi: 10.3897 / phytokeys.55.8489 , online at researchgate.net.

Web links

Commons : Umbu ( Spondias tuberosa )  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ DE Prado, PE Gibbs: Patterns of Species Distributions in the Dry Seasonal Forests of South America. In: Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. Volume 80, No. 4, 1993, p. 902, doi: 10.2307 / 2399937 .
  2. LS Barreto, MS de Castro: Boas práticas de manejo para o extrativismo sustentável do umbu. Embrapa Recursos Genéticos e Biotecnologia, Brasília 2010, ISBN 978-85-87697-64-6 , online (PDF), from ISPN - Instituto Sociedade, População e Natureza, accessed on April 30, 2019.
  3. L. Epstein: A riqueza do umbuzeiro. In: Rev. Bahia Agríc. Volume 2, No. 3, 1998, pp. 31-34.
  4. ^ Spondias tuberosa at Tropicos.org. In: IPCN Chromosome Reports . Missouri Botanical Garden, St. Louis
  5. JLS de Lima: Plantas forrageiras das Caatingas usos e potencialidades. EMBRAPA-CPATSA: Programa Plantas do Nordeste; Londres: Royal Botanic Gardens. Petrolina 1996, OCLC 492249127 .