Kingdom: Plante
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopside
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Clusiaceae
Genre: Platonia
Species: Insignis Platonia
THE Insignis Platonia is a native Amazon tree whose main consumer and producer is the state of Pará. Its wood, quite resistant and used in constructions and in the manufacture of furniture, makes Paragominas (PA) a lumber pole in the region.
This plant, typical of open areas and clearings, reaches approximately 35 meters in height and 1 m in diameter. From the wounds in the bark of its trunk, latex appears. This yellowish color is used as a glue and also as a plaster for the treatment of eczema, herpes and other skin diseases.
It has large, stiff and shiny leaves. Its flower is red, pink or white. It gives rise to an oval berry-like fruit, with a thick skin, yellowish color and white pulp.
This, known as “bacuri” or “landirana”, only forms after ten years of the plant's existence. It has an acidic and sweet taste and is rich in phosphorus, calcium, iron and vitamin C. Widely appreciated in cooking in the form of ice cream, liqueurs, pies, jellies, among other products, it is digestive, diuretic and healing. Its name, in Tupi, means: "what falls as soon as it ripens" – and that is why the fruit is only picked when it is naturally detached from the tree.
Each bacuri has one to five seeds, brownish in color. From these, oil and protein bran can be extracted. The first is used in traditional medicine as an anti-inflammatory, healing and treatment of skin diseases.
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By Mariana Araguaia
Graduated in Biology
Would you like to reference this text in a school or academic work? Look:
ARAGUAIA, Mariana. "Bacuri (Platonia insignis)"; Brazil School. Available in: https://brasilescola.uol.com.br/biologia/bacuri.htm. Accessed on June 28, 2021.
