Caryocar, commonly known as souari trees, is a genus of flowering plants in the family Caryocaraceae, placed in the order Malpighiales. The genus was described by Linnaeus in 1771 and comprises around 15 species of trees native primarily to South America, with a small number of species extending into Central America and the West Indies.
Trees in the genus are valued for their dense, durable timber, and several species produce large edible fruits known as souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts. The Pekea-nut (Caryocar nuciferum) was historically the best-known species in trade; it is native to the Guianas, Venezuela, and northern Brazil. In Brazil, the Pequi (Caryocar brasiliense), found across the Cerrado savanna, is economically and culturally significant: its oily, aromatic fruit pulp is a staple of central Brazilian cuisine, and pequi oil is extracted for cooking and cosmetic use. Beyond food and timber, some Caryocar species have been used by Amazonian indigenous peoples to prepare arrow or blow-dart poisons.
The family Caryocaraceae is a small Neotropical family of just two genera, and Caryocar is by far the larger of the two. Species are predominantly lowland tropical trees of South America's Amazonian rainforests and adjacent cerrado vegetation.
Etymology
The genus name Caryocar derives from the Greek karyon (nut or kernel), reflecting the large, hard-shelled edible nuts produced by several species in the genus.
Distribution
Caryocar is distributed primarily across tropical South America, including the Amazon basin, the Brazilian Cerrado, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Paraguay. A few species reach Central America (Costa Rica, Panama) and the West Indies (Lesser Antilles, St. Kitts, St. Vincent).
Cultural Uses
In Brazil, the fruit of Caryocar brasiliense (Pequi) is a central ingredient in traditional dishes of the Cerrado region and is used to produce pequi oil for cooking and cosmetics. Several Amazonian indigenous peoples have historically prepared hunting poisons from Caryocar species.
