USEFUL FLORIDA TREES: JATOBA, aka STINKTOE, Hymenaea courbaril, Fabaceae. Thanks so much to Mark MD Fairchild, who gifted me some Stinky Toe seedpods at one of our recent Bamboo Grove garden parties. Marcus, of Miami Permaculture, knows this tree well. JATOBA (Stinky Toe, Guapinol, Algarrobo. Most of the following info is from Wikipedia (not my favorite source, for sure). NATIVE TO: The Caribbean, Central & South America. DESRIPTION: Tree. Seedpod (a hard shell, hard to break open) pulp is edible and has an unpleasant odor, although not by many who consume it. Some varieties from Brazil & Bolivia are considered distinct species. AKA: Brazilian Cherry, Copinal, South American Cherry, Brazilian Copal, South American Locust, West Indian Locust, Old Man’s Toe, Stinktoe. Pods are called Antilles Carob. EDIBLE FRUITS: Hard pods contain a dry, sweet, edible pulp around the seeds. Caribbean Island children eat the pulp. The seedpods are sold in markets of El Salvador. The pulp is made up of miniature soluble fibers that dissolve easily in water or milk, which it thickens. Some like to add sugar for more sweetness, and if eaten raw, it can tend to stick to the mouth like dry dust. When powdered and added to cookies, crackers, soups, drinks (one is known as atole), etc. NUTRITIONAL VALUE: Extraordinary nutritive value of the pulp, it “is one of the richest vegetable foods known because of its high concentration of starches and proteins.” LIVESTOCK: A first-rate feed for animals. WILDLIFE: Yellow-Bellied Sapsuckers drill holes in the wood to obtain the edible sap and the resulting ants that follow. USEFUL RESIN: Anime, the orange, resinous, sticky gum produced by wounds in the bark, entraps insects outdoors when heated. The fumes have a very pleasant odor. In Brazil, it was used internally to treat lung diseases. Also, as an ingredient in ointments, plasters, varnishes, & incense. After millions of years, amber has been formed from this genus. Copalite dental cavity sealant contains copal, the hardened sap. Traditionally, the smoke from the burned copal is used in the Caribbean to alleviate headaches & rheumatism. MEDICINAL BARK: In the 1930s an extract of the bark, Vinho de Jatobá (Jatobá wine) was popular throughout Brazil and used as an energizer and fortifier. Lumberjacks working in the Brazilian rainforest have long used Jatobá tea to give them added energy, vigor and strength. Even today they are seen carrying large jugs of homemade Jatobá tea with them as they head off to work. USEFUL WOOD: A very hard, heavy wood, tan/salmon in color with black accent strips (turning deep rich red in time), is used to make furniture, flooring, and for decorative purposes. Excellent quality, termite-resistant, used in heavy construction (bridges, ships, etc.). USEFUL SAP: The sap is used in perfumes and varnishes.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Jul 2014 17:48:18 +0000
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