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Home , Juice vesicles, Multiple fruit, Orange (fruit), Spondias mombin, Syconium

Costa Rican

Annona spp.

I.

Annonaceae - 80 genera, 850 . Native to tropical America, being used by native Americans in pre-Columbian times.

Several Annona important commercially or locally; referred to as "custard apples".

• A. cherimola - Cherimoya (chirimoya, cherimolia, anona blanca). Highland species from the slopes of the Andes of , Ecuador. The surface texture is patch-like, but smoother than most others. • A. squamosa - Sweetsop, apple (anon, anona blanca). This is the most widely grown Annona. • A. cherimola × A. squamosa - Atemoya, (atemoya, chirimoriñon). This is more like the cherimoya in eating quality (very good), but has a more tropical adaptation. • A. muricata L. - soursop (guanabana). This is the largest fruited Annona, having fruits borne on main stems (cauliflorous) up to 10 or 15 lbs.

II. Description

• small to medium size trees, spreading habit and an unusual 2-ranked phyllotaxy • fairly large, green with a custard or pudding-like texture when ripe; brown or black when ripe. • Fruit is an aggregation of (syncarp), 50 or more per fruit, fused at maturity. The surface of the fruits is distinctly lobed where each individual fits into the aggregate. • Many large, brown/black seeds, which are mildly poisonous. • Wait until the fruit is very soft and brown/black before eating; you should be able to spoon the flesh out easily. • Often made into , ice cream, puddings. Fresh pulp is sweet, aromatic, with slightly astringent subflavor; often with grit cells.

III. value, usage.

• Water low for fresh fruit, 76%; 18.2%; Fruits relatively high in Ca, P, and Fe. • of crushed seeds causes temporary blindness; are used as fish poisons and insecticides; seed resins of atemoya are used against lice in tropical America. • Tannins in bark and of soursop may cause cancer. • Cancer therapy drugs - apomorphine alkaloids are being studied for this purpose from soncoya. • Snake-bite antidotes are made from root bark of A. nana (Angola). • Toothache relief - is provided by a mouthwash of bark decoction of A. senegalensis (wild custard apple of western ). • Infusions of bark, leaves, and roots are in “daily use” in folk medicines for alleviating fevers and intestinal disorders. • Superstitions - : Pond apple considered poisonous; actually just unpalatable. Ceylon: The custard apple is thought to cause leprosy. Central America: Soncoya blamed for causing chills and fevers. Costa Rican Fruits

Avocado

I. Taxonomy

• Persea americana, Family - Lauraceae (aguacate, cura, cupandra, palta) • Native to tropical America, grown pantropically and into subtropical areas, . • 3 races:

1.West Indian (Florida): P. americana Mill. var. americana. Large, oval to round, green fruit, smooth skin.

2.Guatemalan: P. nubigena var. guatemalensis. Skin granular or pebbled, some purple in color.

3.Mexican: P. americana Mill. var. drymifolia. Usually thin, smooth skin, often purple or black in color; most cold tolerant, can grow at high elevation (5000 ft).

Hybrids among races often the most commercially grown types

III. Description:

• : Tall, evergreen tree (30m) of the rain or cloud forest. • : Small, pale-green or yellow borne in terminal panicles. • : Cross-pollination necessary for full production. • Fruit: Pear-shaped or rounded, 3-13 inches long, up to 6 inch diameter. Skin yellow-green to dark purple, smooth or pebbled. Flesh yellow- green in color, buttery/-like ; high in (5-20%). Large (.2 inch) single seed in center, ivory in color, surrounded by brown, papery seed coat.

III. Food value, usage.

• Water 65% (low for fresh fruit), High 245. Unusually high in fat (up to 20% - most fresh fruits have <1% fat). • Leaves, bark, fruit, and seeds poisonous to cattle, horses, rabbits, goats, fish. • Toothache relief - piece of seed or a decoction of put into bad teeth. Costa Rican Fruits

Banana and Plantain

I. Taxonomy

• Bananas and plantains belong to the family Musaceae, genus Musa.

• Bananas are derived from M. acuminata, plantains from M. balbisiana or hybrids between the 2 species.

• Musa spp. originated in southeastern Asia, from east and south to northern Australia. Bananas are now grown commercially in more countries than any other food crop (130). ranks 8th among banana producers in the world.

II. Description:

• Plant: Large, tree-like herbaceous monocots, reaching 15-25 ft. The "trunk" is a pseudostem, the clustered, cylindrical aggregation of stalk bases. Leaves are among the largest of all , becoming up to 9 ft long and 2 ft wide; 5-15 leaves per plant. The perennial portion is the corm, giving rise to shoots and roots. Shoots are thinned to 2 per corm -a "parent" for fruiting and a "follower" to take the place of the parent after it fruits and dies back. A plant bears fruit 10-12 months after planting. • : The is a spike originating from the tip of the corm (rhizome). Initially, it appears above the last leaves in an upright position, and consists only of a large, purple, tapered . As this bud opens, the slim, white, tubular, toothed flowers are revealed, clustered in whorled double rows along the stalk, each cluster covered by a thick, waxy, purple hood-like . • Pollination: Not needed; fruit is set parthenocarpically. • Fruit: an epigynous berry; fruit are borne in "hands" of up to .20 fruit, with 5-13 hands per spike.

III. Food value, usage:

• Contrary to popular opinion, bananas provide only about 9% of the daily requirement of ; plantains about same. They supply about ½ the daily requirement of C. They contain 80-140 calories, with starchy plantains being the higher of the two. • Ash from burned leaves and stems is used as salt. • Livestock are often fed banana culls. • Fertilizers are made from dried, chopped banana stems and leaves. • There are dozens of construction and medicinal uses for banana leaves and other plant parts. • Some extracts of banana have shown hypoglycemic activity experimentally. The juice from the junction of a "branch" with the stem is used for toothache relief in Panama and . • The Musaceae is important not only for fruit production, but also for providing man with clothing, tools, and shelter prior to recorded history. Costa Rican Fruits

Cashew

I. Taxonomy

- Family - Anacardium occidentale - Originated in northeastern and was spread by the Portuguese to East Africa, , India and Malaysia.

II. Description

- Plant: Smallish, spreading, evergreen tree of up to 10m in height.

- Leaves: Oval to spatulate leaves have entire margins and blunt tips.

- Fruit: The small kidney-shaped nut is borne on a yellow to bright red swollen pseudofruit known as the cashew apple. Nuts are surrounded by a thin inner membrane, a layer of irritant oil, and a though, leathery outer shell. The most widely produced tree nut crop in the world.

III. Food value, usage

- The cashew apple and the roasted nuts can both be used for food. - The main food item is the nut, which must be roasted to get rid of the irritant oil. - Nuts contain high quality , oils, and starch. The fruits are used to make a variety of jams, jellies, , wines, and vinegars, including cajuado, a popular in Brazil. - Cashews contain calcium, phosphorous and iron; as well as A, C, D, K and E. - The apples are rich in and contain as much as five times the as juice. Costa Rican Fruits

Coconut

I. Taxonomy

• Cocos nucifera (Coco) The Arecaceae family contains over 2600 species. Coconut is the most economically valuable and widespread species. • Grown pantropically in tropical lowlands. Coconut production is largely centered in the eastern hemisphere tropics, although Brazil produces about 5% of the world’s crop. Coconut ranks in the top 5 of all fruit crops in the world in terms of tonnage produced. • Coconut palms are often the only tree species present on small, isolated, tropical islands. Fruits can float for years on ocean and still germinate when beached.

II. Description

• Single-trunked palm to 20 m. Propagated by seed, fruit production in 6-9 years. • Flowers of different sexes are borne in the same compound spadix inflorescence in leaf axils. Flowering is continuous. • Fruits are large, dry in clusters of 10-20. The edible portion is endosperm, "milk" = liquid endosperm, “copra” = solid endosperm. Fruit ripen 16-18 months after pollination. The mesocarp is dry and fibrous, called “coir” and sold for industrial uses such as potting medium. Endosperm rich in oil and protein; oil extracted for cooking. World's largest seed - since most of fruit is just the seed.

III. Food value, usage

• Copra contains 39% oil, and 556 calories, on par with oil-rich nut crops. Other products include “coir”, the dry, fibrous mesocarp (potting media), coconut oil (cooking), coconut cake (left over from oil extraction; livestock), water coconuts - immature fruit used for drinking (the water inside is sterile). • The coconut palm is referred to as the "tree of life", "tree of heaven", or "tree of abundance", reflective of its essentiality to everyday life in the tropics. The following is a quote from W orld Bank Technical Paper 136. “The immature nut provides a pleasant beverage (coconut milk or liquid endosperm - also used in tissue culture), the raw kernel is an important article of food; pared, shredded and dried it provides the desiccated coconut of commerce. The oil is used for cooking, for illumination and lubrication, and in the manufacture of margarine, bakery , soaps, detergents and toiletries. Coconut cake, the residue after extracting the oil from copra, is valuable as cattle and poultry feed. Tapping the inflorescence produces sap which can be used to provide sugar, vinegar, sweet or fermented toddy (like beer or wine) and, when distilled, arrack (liquor). The timber can be used for building and furniture construction; the plaited leaves for roofing; fiber from the husk for the manufacture of ropes and matting; the shell for charcoal or the manufacture of artifacts (pots, buttons, bowls, etc.). Even the roots are used in dyes and traditional medicines." The resin of inner husk used in Panama for toothache relief. Coconut milk is an anthelmintic (rids intestinal worms). Costa Rican Fruits

Fig

I. Taxonomy

- Family - carica - Originated in the Eastern Mediterranean region. - One of the most ancient of all crops, archaeological records date cultivation as far back as 4000BC. Today figs are grown in all temperate regions of the world.

II. Description

- Plant: A small deciduous tree or shrub 4-7m high.

- Leaves: Fairly large, lobed leaves; distinctive shape.

- Fruit: The fig is type of known as a ; basically an inverted, hollow inflorescence, bearing numerous small flowers and fruits on the inside, with a small hole at the tip through which the can enter.

- III. Food value, usage

- Figs can be eaten fresh or dried. - Figs are used in cooking, desserts, confectionery, jams, preserves, and drinks. - Figs are among the sweetest of fruits. - Available carbohydrates are 13% in fresh and 55% in dried. - They are very rich in vitamins and minerals and have a mild laxative effect. Costa Rican Fruits

Grapefruit

I. Taxonomy

• C. paradisi, family • introduced to Florida in 1809, and was not known by man beforehand. Probably derives from Caribbean '' which was a natural hybrid between pummelo (C. grandis) and sweet . • Citrus’ native range is from northeastern India through the Malay archipelago and Australia. is the only citrus fruit to have originated in the new world. The USA leads the world in production; Costa Rica produces very little.

II. Description

• Plant: Small, spreading, evergreen trees or tall shrubs. Stems often armed with long thorns. Leaves are unifoliate, thick, ovate with acute to obtuse tips, having entire or crenulate margins and a wide petiole wing. Leaves contain characteristic citrus oils in glands (“pellucid dots”) which makes them fragrant when crushed. • Flower: Fragrant flowers are in short cymes, borne axillary on current flush of growth, and also from the previous flush of growth. 5 petals and sepals; petals linear, sometimes curved lengthwise, white, waxy, and thick; sepals fused at base to form a small cup. with 10-14 locules in most commercial , each with potentially 4-8 seeds. Ovary, superior, subtended by raised nectary disc. • Pollination: Self-pollinating or parthenocarpic • Fruit: A . The endocarp (edible portion) is divided into 10-14 sections, separated by thin septa. Each segment is composed of ("pulp"), with long stalks attached to the outer wall, containing juice. The mesocarp is the white tissue usually adherent to the outer surface of the endocarp; it is also called the albedo. The exocarp, or flavedo, is the thin, pigmented outer portion of the rind, with numerous oil glands.

III. Food value, usage

• Supplies 84% of vitamin C; 40 calories in 100 g serving. • Sweeteners -. Naringin () - in grapefruit, has 1000x the of sugar. Said to be a long-lasting sweetness that is slow to develop - aftertaste like licorice or menthol and Neohesperidin (dihydrochalcone) - flavonoid in C. grandis, a parent of the grapefruit. Costa Rican Fruits

Myrtaceous Fruits, Guavas

I. Taxonomy

• The Myrtaceae family is a broadly distributed group of (mostly) tropical trees and shrubs, with centers of origin in Australia and Brazil. • 80 genera, > 3000 species, many native to or naturalized throughout tropical America. • examples include Eucalyptus, Callistemon (bottle-brush tree), Melaleuca, clove (dried flower of Syzygium aromaticum), allspice (unripe berries of Pimenta officinalis), and bay rum (Pimenta racemosa)

• The common guava, Psidium guajava , (guayabo) is the most important species (pictured at top). • Other “guavas”: pineapple guava (Feijoa sellowiana), Arazà or Brazilian Guava (Eugenia stipitata - pictured at right)), Cattley guava, (Psidium cattleianum), and Costa Rican guava (Psidium Friedrichsthalianum).

II. Description

• The common guava is a small, often multi-trunked tree, and has striking bark- smooth, thin, copper-colored, exfoliating to reveal a mottled tan/brown appearance (like a crape myrtle). The main stems are “bony” or “muscled” in appearance. Young twigs are downy and aromatic when crushed. • Flowers are white and have a raised tuft of white stamens (maybe 200 or more). • Fruit is round or pear-shaped, yellow when ripe, 2-4" in diameter, with prominent sepal remnants at the tip (like a pomegranate or quince). The flesh is generally salmon pink, but can be white, yellow, or red, and contains many small (1/8"), hard, yellowish seeds. They appear to be self-fruitful.

III. Food value, usage

• 50-100% of Vitamin A and 100-600% of Vitamin C (found mostly in the outer skin). Calories 40-50. • The wood is strong and fine-grained; useful in furniture. Good for fuel wood or charcoal. • The leaves and bark are high in tannins, and therefore used for tanning hides. Also used to make dark colored dye. • Leaves, roots, bark and immature fruit for halting diarrhea, vomiting, dysentery, upset stomach; crushed leaves applied to wounds as a poultice or chewed for toothache relief; leaf decoctions for cough, throat and chest ailments. Costa Rican Fruits

Inga

I. Taxonomy

- Family Fabaceae, genus Inga. - There are about four hundred species in the tropics; about twenty-five to thirty occur in Costa Rica.

II. Description

- Plant: Inga species are large, canopy and sub-canopy trees recognizable by their alternate, even-pinnate, compound leaves, often bearing a winged rachis, and usually having glands between opposite leaflets.

- Flower: Inga flowers are arranged that are “puffballs”: the main part of each flower is the stamens, and it is the white filaments of the numerous stamens that provide the visual attraction.

- Fruit: Inga fruits are large, leguminous pods of many shapes and sizes. They can be flat green pods, square brown fuzzy pods, or long twisted pods. The seeds are usually covered with white, sweet, edible pulp that aids in their dispersal by bird and mammals.

III. Food value, usage

- Many species of Inga are economically important as shade trees in and cacao plantations. - The fruits can be eaten and are commonly know as “guaba.” - The though skin is easily removed by hand the white flesh may be eaten on its own. Costa Rican Fruits

Jackfruit

I. Taxonomy

- Family Moraceae - Artocarpus heterophyllus - Believed to be indigenous to southern India but cultivated in Southeast Asia since ancient times. From here it spread to all tropical regions of the world.

II. Description

- Plant: is a fast growing tree of 10m or more in height, with the overall appearance of a wild fig tree.

- Leaves: Ovate, glossy leaves have entire margins; no lobes or teeth in contrast to its close relative the .

- Fruit: Cauliflorous; borne directly on the trunk or large branches. Fruit are potentially the largest of any plant in the world. Oblong in shape, up to 1m long, sometimes upwards of 100 lbs, green in color and have a distinctive surface texture due to regularly spaced, small soft protuberances. The multiple fruit is formed from an entire flower cluster that becomes fleshy. It contains several hundred individual fruits, each with a large seed surrounded by orange-yellow flesh.

III. Food value, usage

- Jackfruit is relatively low in carbohydrates and energy value. It is a good source of potassium, iron and nicotinamide.

- The yellow timber is popular for woodcarvings and furniture. Costa Rican Fruits

Lime

I. Taxonomy

• Genus Citrus, Rutaceae family • C. aurantifolia - limes and -like fruits. • Two main cultivars include the 'Key', which is small, round, and seedy, and 'Tahiti', which is larger, oval, and seedless. • Limes are native to southeast Asia; they are more tropical in adaptation than the other major citrus fruits. produces over 10% of the world’s limes, and Costa Rica produces < 0.1%.

III. Description

• Plant: Small, spreading, evergreen trees or shrubs. Stems armed with short thorns. Leaves are unifoliate, relatively thick and smaller than other citrus, ovate with acute to obtuse tips, having entire or crenulate margins and a narrow petiole wing. Leaves contain citrus oils in glands (“pellucid dots”) which makes them fragrant when crushed. • Flower: Fragrant flowers are solitary or in short cymes, borne axillary on current or previous flush of growth. 5 petals and sepals; petals linear, sometimes curved lengthwise, white, waxy, and thick; sepals fused at base to form a small cup. Ovary with 10 locules in most commercial cultivars, superior, subtended by raised nectary disc. • Pollination: self-pollinating; ‘Tahiti’ limes are parthenocarpic. • Fruit: A hesperidium. The endocarp (edible portion) is divided into 10-14 sections, separated by thin septa, each containing up to 8 seeds, but usually only one seed/segment. Each segment is composed of juice vesicles ("pulp"), with long stalks attached to the outer wall, containing juice. The mesocarp is the white tissue usually adherent to the outer surface of the endocarp, except for mandarins; it is also called the albedo. The exocarp, or flavedo, is the thin, pigmented outer portion of the rind, with numerous oil glands.

III. Food value, usage

• Less vitamin C than other citrus, but still about 75% of RDA. Low in , and up to 6% organic acids. • oils - in and leaves may cause contact dermatitis. These are also "photosensitizing compounds", meaning that one may get a sunburn rash if juice gets on skin while exposed to UV light. (agent = furocoumarin?). • Volatile oils - In many species these are used to scent creams, , etc. Costa Rican Fruits

Mango

I. Taxonomy

• The , Mangifera indica, is the most economically important fruit in the Anacardiaceae or poison ivy family. • Two main types: 1) Indochinese - flattened, kidney shaped, green-yellow, pictured at left, 2) West Indian - rounded, red blushed. In the USA, West Indian is common. • Native to southeastern Asia to India. • Over half of world production is from India, with Mexico (#2), Brazil, and Haiti the only important producers in tropical America. Costa Rica produces <1% of the world crop.

II. Description

• Plant: Large, long-lived tree with broad, rounded canopy (to 20-30m, <10m in cultivation). • Long, narrow leaves • Flowers: Tiny, red-yellow; 25-98% %, the remaining perfect or female, in panicles of hundreds or a few thousand individuals. Flowering occurs in the dry season • Pollination: mostly self-fertile • Fruit: Large . Large, kidney-shaped central stone contains one or more large, starchy embryos. The skin has yellow or green background color, with red/orange blush in West Indian cultivars. Skin contains irritating oils; skin reactions similar to poison ivy exposure often occur - fruit should always be peeled, and a clean knife used to flesh. The flesh is yellow/orange in color, sometimes astringent (turpentine-like) and stringy in lower quality cultivars. Fruit ripens in 4- 7 months. Alternate bearing may occur in trees over 10 years; fruiting may be sporadic across the canopy.

III. Food value, usage

• High in Vitamin A (20% of RDA) and Vitamin C (up to 200% of RDA). Calories - 63. • Milky sap or latex causes dermatitis much like poison ivy. Cattle may be killed by ingestion of mango leaves. • Chew sticks are made from twigs and leaves in India and Panama. • Astringents, and remedies for bronchitis, internal hemorrhage, and toothache are made from twigs and leaves. • Uterine hemorrhages are treated with mango fruit skin in some tropical countries. Costa Rican Fruits

Mombins (Jocote)

I. Taxonomy

- Family Anacardiaceae - mombin (previously known as S. lutea); called “jocote” in CR. - also called Spanish plum or Jamaican plum (pictured right). - Indigenous to Tropical America.

II. Description

- Plant: Small to medium tree of up to 10m in height. Purple mombin is deciduous in dry forest regions. - Leaves: Compound leaves comprising seven to nine pairs of pointed leaflets. - Flowers: Small white flowers are arranged in loose clusters. - Fruit: Yellow, orange, or red plum- like fruits the size of eggs. The fruit is crisp and tangy when unripe, turning sweet, soft, juicy, and somewhat fibrous when ripe.

III. Food value, usage

- Fruits are used both ripe and unripe. - Fruits are eaten raw sometimes with salt. - The ripe fruits are turned into jams, jellies, pickles, and chutney. - The fruits are also included in tropical fruit mixes and can be blended with milk, ice cream, or liquors to create sweet cold drinks. - The fruits contribute small amounts of minerals, , and vitamins to the diet. Costa Rican Fruits

Sweet Orange

I. Taxonomy

• Citrus sinensis (naranja) • Rutaceae family • Sweet oranges probably arose in India. Oranges are cultivated in greater quantities than any other citrus fruit. They achieve best quality in subtropical, not tropical climates. Brazil leads the world in production, with 28% of the crop, and Costa Rica produces <1%. • 4 major types: 1. Common or round oranges (juice, fresh market; e.g. ‘Valencia’) 2. Blood oranges (red-juiced variants, ‘Moro’) 3. Navel oranges (a secondary ovary embedded at the stylar end; ‘W ashington’) 4. Acidless oranges (odd group with low acid, insipidly sweet).

II. Description

• Plant: Small, spreading, evergreen tree. Vigorous stems armed with long thorns. Leaves are unifoliate, relatively thick, ovate with acute to obtuse tips, having entire or crenulate margins and a moderate petiole wing. Leaves contain citrus oils in glands (“pellucid dots”) which makes them fragrant when crushed. • Flower: Fragrant flowers are in short cymes, axillary on current or previous flush of growth. 5 petals and sepals; petals linear, sometimes curved lengthwise, white, waxy, and thick; sepals fused at base to form a small cup. Ovary with 10-14 locules, each with 4-8 seeds. Ovary, superior, subtended by raised nectary disc. • Pollination: Self-pollinating or parthenocarpic • Fruit: A hesperidium. The endocarp (edible portion) divided into 10-14 sections, separated by thin septa. Each segment is composed of juice vesicles ("pulp"), with long stalks attached to the outer wall, containing juice. The mesocarp is the white tissue usually adherent to the outer surface of the endocarp, except for mandarins; it is also called the albedo. The exocarp, or flavedo, is the thin, pigmented outer portion of the rind, with numerous oil glands.

III. Food value, usage

• up to 109%RDA of vitamin C; Calories - 44. • Sweet orange peel is used in Panama for toothache relief. • Leaf decoctions of sour orange used as mouth mouthwash or gargle for sore throat. Sour orange - Said to be good for headache, fever, dysentery, ophthalmia, oral infections, vermifuge, vomiting. wash or gargle for sore throat. • Myth/folklore - Because the orange tree bears flowers and fruits at the same time, it was used in fertility rituals and weddings - the white flower symbolized virginity, and the fruits symbolized fertility. Costa Rican Fruits

Papaya

I. Taxonomy

• Carica papaya, Caricaceae family. • Native from Southern Mexico through Central America. It was spread to the south by Indians, and throughout the Caribbean with Spanish exploration. • Papaya ranks about 18th in importance as a fruit crop worldwide, with Brazil producing 25% of the world’s crop; although abundant in markets in Costa Rica, it produces < 1% of the world crop.

II. Description

• Plant: Large, herbaceous perennial, to 10m, <6m in cultivation. Leaves are spirally arranged on a hollow stem (“trunk”), with petioles 1-3.5 ft in length and blades deeply lobed, 1-2 ft in width. Stem and leaves produce white latex. • Flowers: Plants are dioecious or hermaphroditic, with only & or hermaphrodites used in cultivation. Pistillate flowers are waxy, ivory white, and borne on short stalks, perfect flowers are similar with bright yellow anthers. • Pollination: Hermaphrodites self-fruitful, females must be cross-pollinated. • Fruit: Large, oval to round berries; melon-like. Fruit borne axillary on the main stem. Fruits from female flowers are more round in shape and thin-skinned, whereas fruits from bisexual flowers are the typical pyriform/oval shape with thicker skin. Flesh is yellow-orange to salmon at maturity, the edible portion surrounding the large, central seed cavity. Hundreds of small black seeds (3/16 inch). Fruit production occurs year-round since flowering is continuous; individual fruits mature in 120-150 days. Plants begin bearing in 8-10 months.

III. Food value, usage

• Vitamin A @ 48% of RDA, Vitamin C @ 80%. Calories - 43. • Milky latex may cause dermatitis. • Toothache relief - the inner bark is used for this in Samoa. • Amebicide - latex and seeds used in C. America to kill Entamoeba histolytica which causes dysentery and liver abscesses. • Cosmetics - papaya fruit pulp is the basic component of many facial creams, salves, and shampoos. • Papain - is one of two proteolytic (the other is chymopapain) found in papaya latex. Papain is extremely useful since it retains proteolytic activity over a wide pH range, unlike other proteases. Papain is used during surgical procedures to dissolve ruptured spinal discs; it is referred to as “nature’s scalpel” because it preferentially degrades dead tissue. Costa Rican Fruits

Passion Fruit

I. Taxonomy

- Family Passifloraceae - Passiflora edulis is main species (pictured right); several other edible Passiflora species, such as sweet granadilla (P. ligularis pictured below). - Indigenous to southern Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina. Introduced to the rest of the world by the Spanish; commercially important worldwide.

II. Description

- Plant: A vigorous climbing vine with smooth, deeply lobed, toothed leaves and spiraling climbing tendrils.

- Flower: The white/purple flowers are strikingly beautiful and contain numerous stamens and characteristic curved styles.

- Fruit: An egg-shaped berry with a tough skin. It can be purple or yellow, and is somewhat wrinkled at maturity. It contains numerous seeds with fleshy, sweet or sour arils, containing the juice. - Two types are grown: the common purple-fruited, sweet, black-seeded type which has the flowers open in the morning and the yellow-fruited sour, brown-seeded type which has the flowers open in the afternoon.

III. Food value, usage

- Passion fruit is mainly eaten fresh or the fruit pulp is used in drinks, , and desserts. Purple fruits are preferred for eating, while the more acidic yellow type has become an important commercial source of juice for the beverage industry. - The fruit pulp yields fair amounts of Vitamin C, carotenoids, Vitamin A, Phosphorous, and Potassium. Costa Rican Fruits

Pineapple

I. Taxonomy

• Ananas comosus, Bromeliaceae family • ‘Smooth Cayenne' is the main variety, selected and cultivated by Venezuelan Indians for its large, juicy fruit and lack of spines on leaves. • Native to southern Brazil and Paraguay, probably distributed throughout tropical America and the Caribbean by Carib Indians. Pineapple achieves best quality in hot, tropical lowlands, and is drought tolerant enough to tolerate an extended dry season. Tiny Costa Rica boasts a #6 ranking in world pineapple production, and is the main exported to the USA.

II. Description

• Plant: Herbaceous monocot, 1-1.5m tall and 1m wide. Short, central stem inconspicuous in the center of rosette of long (1-2m), linear leaves, with spines at tips and margins, except many cultivated types which are spineless. • Flowers: Small, purple-red, subtended by a single yellow, green or red bract, borne laterally on elongating central stem in a spike of 100-200 individuals. Apex of inflorescence is vegetative, becoming the "crown" on the fruit, which can be used for propagation. Flowering induced by chemical/ exposure when plants are 6-12 months. • Pollination: Flowers self-sterile; are set parthenocarpically. • Fruit: A cone-shaped, multiple of berries, formed from the fusion of adjacent flowers on the spike, and development of ovaries into the fleshy, edible portion. The "core" is the fleshy rachis of the spike. Fruit covered with waxy, leathery rind, made up of hexagonal "eyes", arranged spirally, which denote the position of individual flowers. One fruit per plant is produced. Plants generally produce fruit in 15-18 months from transplanting.

III. Food value, usage

• More flavor than substance - only 20% of RDA vitamin C, 49 calories. • Young, tender shoots and terminal buds (inflorescences) are eaten in salads or cooked in Africa and Guatemala. • Bromelain - Proteolytic obtained from juices; similar to papain of papaya. Tenderizes meat, chill-proofs beer, stabilizes latex paint, useful in tanning leather; may cause dermatitis. • Fibers - from leaves used in coarse textiles, thread, casting nets, underwear (!) Costa Rican Fruits Pitahaya

I. Taxonomy

- Family Cactaceae - Hylocereus undatus - Native to Central America, widely cultivated in tropical regions of the world. Crop development and commercial production is underway, mainly in Columbia, , Israel and Vietnam; marketed as “dragon fruit”.

II. Description

- Plant: An epiphytic cactus, where cladodes arranged end-to- end give the appearance of a succulent creeping vine. Stems are three-angled, thorny, and climb by means of fibrous aerial roots.

- Flowers: Large, white, terminally borne flowers open at night and last for only one night.

- Fruit: Pink, red, or purple outside, and purple inside with numerous small black seeds embedded in the pulp. They are self-incompatible and have to be cross pollinated by bats and moths, or by hand.

III. Food value, usage

- Pitahaya can be eaten fresh or chilled by in half and scooping out the flesh with a spoon. They can also be processed to make juice, wine, liqueur and puree for ice cream. - Ripe fruits contain 10-12% carbohydrates. The vitamin C content is about 8mg per 100g, or about 1/5 the daily amount required in diet. Costa Rican Fruits Rambutan

I. Taxonomy

- Family Sapindaceae - Nephelium lappaceum - Originated in Malaysia, commercial cultivation has spread throughout Southeast Asia and more recently to Zanzibar, Madagascar, Central America and Australia. - “Rambutan” is derived from rambut, the Malay word for hair.

II. Description

- Plant: An evergreen tree of up to 15m in height with large leaves and small, yellowish flowers that develop into clusters of about ten.

- Flowers: Very small, green, apetalous flowers are produced terminally in panicles of several hundred flowers. Can be male, female, or hermaphroditic.

- Fruit: Small, red or yellow fruits are covered with a thick rind having many prominent, soft hairs. Each fruit has a single large seed surrounded by a soft white fleshy aril.

III. Food value, usage

- The ripe fruits are used for food. - Trees are grown from seeds or cuttings. - The trees thrive in moist, tropical conditions. - The though skin is easily removed by hand the white flesh may be eaten on its own. - Rambutans may also be processed into jams and are available in canned form. - Fresh arils contain about 15% sugar and are rich in vitamin C. Costa Rican Fruits Sapotaceous Fruits - Zapote, zapote mamey, chico

I. Taxonomy

• Sapotaceae; 40 genera, 600 species, native to the Old World tropics and tropical America. Distinguishing features: milky sap, which is used for latex in the chewing gum tree. “Sapote” derives from the Aztec “tzapotl”, a term they applied to all small, soft, sweet fruits. • Sapodilla - Manilkara zapot [sapodilla, chicozapote, chicle, chico]. • Sapote or Mamey sapote - Pouteria sapota [zapote , zapotillo, mamey colorado, mamey rojo].

II. Description.

• Sapodilla - tall (to 30m), slow growing tropical tree. Fruit round/ovoid, 2-4", borne prominently near shoot tips. Skin light brown, scurfy textured, thin, flesh tan/red-brown, with grit cells. Several large (3/4") black seeds, hooked at narrow end.

• Mamey sapote - tropical lowlands from S. Mexico to Nicaragua. Large leaves (12"), conspicuously whorled at branch tips. Cauliflorous; flowers borne in axils of long- fallen leaves. Fruit larger, up to 9", football shaped, up to 5 lbs. Scurfy brown, leathery skin and bright orange mealy flesh; like pumpkin. 4 very large (2-3"), glossy, pointed, black seeds.

III. Food value, usage

• Sapodilla - ripe fruit can reach 17-24% sugar, and are rather low in acid; the flesh is pleasantly sweet, rich and juicy, with the texture of a pear. • Sapodilla seeds can cause abdominal pain and vomiting if eaten. Fruit skin high in tannin; decoctions of young fruit and other plant parts are used to halt diarrhea. The latex is used for chewing gum commercially, in dental surgery, filling of cavities, and the ancient Aztecs used it to model figurines. The wood is excellent for supporting beams, railway ties, flooring, furniture, tool handles, archer’s bows, and cabinetry. Mayan temples have been unearthed with intact beams of this wood. • Mamey sapote fruits were said to have sustained Cortez and his army during his conquest Central America. Fruit eaten like sapodilla; halved and spooned out. Makes great ice cream, sherbet, milk shakes. The large seeds are very useful: The kernel is boiled, roasted, then mixed with chocolate (as an adulterant!!) or with corn, sugar and cinnamon to make a “smoothee” called “pozol” in southern Mexico. The seed meal can be used to starch linens, and the kernel yields about 50% gelatinous oil which is edible but holds most promise in soap or cosmetic manufacture. The oil is diuretic, and was used against epilepsy by the Aztecs. Wood can be used for furniture/cabinetry, but trees are rarely cut. The milky sap has anthelminthic (combats worms) properties, and is used to treat warts and skin fungus Costa Rican Fruits TAMARIND

Taxonomy a. Family- Fabaceae, Tamarindus indica. b. Native to eastern Africa, and the dry deciduous forests of Madagascar.

Description a. PLANT: A tree, it can grow up to 20 m tall and has complex leaves with 10-40 leaflets. Stays evergreen in areas without a dry season. b. FLOWERS: Inflorescence is a raceme. c. FRUIT: Within the brown pods is the soft edible pulp with many hard seeds.

Food value, commercial usage a. Spice- Immature fruit pulp is an ingredient in Worcestershire sauce because it is sour and acidic, however after ripening it is sweet and used in desserts, drinks, or snacks. It is used in many other recipes for soups, chutneys, etc., and in some areas as a candy. b. Wood- The wood is very hard, durable, and an attractive red color which making it ideal for furniture. c. Medicinal- The pulp, leaves, and bark are used traditionally as an aid to malaria fever and gastric/digestion problems. Costa Rican Fruits Water Apple

I. Taxonomy

- Family Myrtaceae - Syzygium aqueum - Indigenous to Malaysia.

II. Description

- Plant: A large, evergreen shrub or small tree with leathery leaves and

Flowers: Striking, white or pinkish flowers are borne in clusters along branches. Typical myrtaceous floral morphology with inferior ovaries, tetramerous perianth, and numerous, protruding stamens.

- Fruit: Pear-shaped, white to pink colored fruit with a spongy or mealy texture and weak, floral flavor.

III. Food value, usage

- Trees are usually grown for ornamental purposes. - They are rarely grown in commercial plantations. - The fruits are usually eaten fresh and are enjoyed more for their crisp texture than for their flavor. - They have a low energy value of about 17Kcal per 100g. - The level in ripe fruits is about 4g per 100g and there is a fair amount of vitamin C about 15g per 100g. Costa Rican Fruits