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Family: Lecythidaceae (brazil nut family) Life
> eukaryotes >
Archaeoplastida >
Chloroplastida
>
Charophyta > Streptophytina > Plantae (land plants)
> Tracheophyta (vascular plants) > Euphyllophyta > Lignophyta (woody plants)
> Spermatophyta (seed plants) > Angiospermae (flowering
plants) > Eudicotyledons > Core Eudicots > Asterids > Order: Ericales
About 20 genera and 280 species worldwide (pantropical), with
one species native to southern Africa and a further two genera and four species
cultivated in the region.
Genera native to southern Africa
List from
Plants
of Southern Africa - an Online Checklist (SANBI).
Barringtonia
About 39 species, native to tropical Asia, the Pacific, Africa and
Madagascar. One species is native to southern Africa and a further two
species are cultivated in the region. |
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Other genera, cultivated in southern Africa
List from
Glen (2002).
Lecythis lanceolata (Sapucaia)
Native to Brazil. |
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Cariniana estrellensis (Bingueiro, Jequitibá)
Native to Brazil. |
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Other significant species
Bertholletia excelsa (Brazil
nut) Brazil nut trees are native to the Amazon rain
forest in South America. Trees are about 45 m high and bear woody pods,
each pod containing 12 to 20 hard-shelled seeds that we know as Brazil
nuts. Most Brazil nuts are harvested from wild trees in Brazil and
exported. The kernel of a Brazil nut contains about 67% fat and eating
one nut is about the caloric equivalent of eating an egg! They are a
good source of phosphorus and thiamin and contain some calcium.
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