Tropical Plant Database - Plant Details

Myrciaria cauliflora is a slow growing shrub or small tree. They are abundantly branched close from the ground and forming a dense, rounded crown. The bark is thin and flakes off, leaving light patches. The young leaves and branches are hairy. The evergreen leaves are leathery, dark-green, and glossy and lanceolate or oval in shaped with a pointed apex. The flowers appear straight from the trunks and branches in groups of four, on short and thick pedicels. Each flower has four white and hairy petals with numerous stamens. The species takes 8 to 10 years to produce fruit. The tree has unusual means of bearing its fruit. The fruits are borne directly on the trunk or branches and they are glossy, grape-sized and bright-green, red-purple, maroon-purple or even black. Inside they are 1 to 5 oval flattened light-brown seeds.
(Watson, L., and Dallwitz, M. J. 1992. 1999. The Families of Flowering Plants: Descriptions, Illustrations, Identification, and Information Retrieval.)
(Morton, J. 1987. Fruits of Warm Climates.)

A decoction made from the sun-dried skins, which is astringent, is used in Brazil as treatment for asthma, diarrhea and dysentery and for chronic inflammation of the tonsils.
Attention should be given to excessive consumption of this decoction, which could lead to too much tannin in the body, which is carcinogenic if taken over a long period of time.
(Morton, J. 1987. Fruits of Warm Climates.)

(Information for this species compiled and recorded by Camelia Cirnaru, NTBG Consultant.)

Jaboticaba is native to Brazil to the hillside regions around Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais.
(Morton, J. 1987. Fruits of Warm Climates.)

The fruit is juicy and grape-like in taste with the flavors of Muscatine grape. Jaboticabas are eaten fresh from the tree in South America. The fruits are used to make jelly and marmalade. The skin should be removed to avoid a strong tannin flavor. In Brazil, juice and wine is made from the fruits.
(Morton, J. 1987. Fruits of Warm Climates.)

We currently have 1 herbarium specimens for Myrciaria cauliflora in our collection. Click on any specimen below to view the herbarium sheet data.

• 087450 - collected by David H. Lorence in 2020