Caryocar villosum

Caryocar villosum, or piquia, belongs to the Caryocaraceae family. It comes from northern South America, with a range reaching northern Bolivia. Records also place it in Brazil, French Guiana, Ecuador, and Peru. It grows in wet tropical forests, both old and regrown. Its forest sites do not flood on a regular cycle. People grow it and gather its fruit from wild trees.

This slow-growing tree stays evergreen or briefly sheds its leaves. A listed garden size is 98 feet [30 metres] tall. Its spread can reach 115 feet [35 metres]. Broader accounts give heights of 66–148 feet [20–45 metres]. The straight trunk measures about 3–6 feet [0.9–1.8 metres] across. Its large size calls for ample space in cultivation. The wood has a yellow to pale grey-brown core. A narrow band of whitish sapwood surrounds it.

Piquia needs sun, though young plants benefit from some sun shelter. It prefers moist soil that drains well. It can grow in sand, loam, or clay. Reported soil tolerance spans mild acidity to mild alkalinity. PFAF lists USDA zones 10–12 for this tropical tree. Seeds may take six to twelve months to sprout. A warm-water soak can shorten this to 30–50 days. Growers also use grafting and air layering to raise plants.

People eat both the fruit flesh and the seed kernels. The yellow flesh has a slight sweetness and a strong scent. Some compare its smell to butter that has gone rancid. People eat it raw, but cooking is more usual. The large white kernels are soft, oily, and almond-like in taste. They can be eaten raw or cooked, including as dessert. Both seeds and the tissue around them yield edible oil. Hard spines cover the seed case beneath the flesh. These can cause injury when someone eats the fresh fruit.

The tree supplies food, oil, and timber within its native range. Its hard, heavy wood is tough and resists wood-eating organisms. Uses include buildings, boats, cabinets, fence posts, and railway sleepers. Food-forest planting is another recorded use. The leaves and bark have reported medicinal use to promote sweating. This record does not establish their safety or effectiveness. The sources describe protection for wild trees in the Amazon region.