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Fruits & Vegetables

Charichuelo Fruit

Botanical Name: Garcinia madruno
Kingdom: Plantae
Order: Malpighiales
Family: Clusiaceae
Genus: Garcinia
Species: G. madruno

Synonyms:
*Calophyllum madruno Kunth
*Rheedia acuminata (Ruiz & Pav.) Planch. & Triana
*Rheedia madruno (Kunth) Planch. & Triana
*Verticillaria acuminata Ruiz & Pav.

Common Names: Charichuelo fruit.Rheedia Bentameriana, or Lemon nerf balls

Habitat:Charichuelo fruit grows in the rainforests of Central and South America. The fruit is not very well known outside of South America and a few backyard growers in South Florida.

It grows in dry forests with generally sandy soils. Humid, secondary forests, principally in areas not subject to inundation, on sandy, well-drained soils. Found at elevations below 1,200 metres.

Description:
Garcinia madruno or Charichuelo fruit is an evergreen Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 8 m (26ft) at a medium rate.
It is hardy to zone (UK) 10.

Suitable for: light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It prefers moist soil

Charichuelo is a fruit-producing tree species from the rainforests of Central and South America. The leaves are dark green and leathery. The fruit looks like a shriveled droopy lemon, and has a similar rind. The interior is soft white pulp and has a popular, slightly citrusy taste people have compared to a sweet santol fruit or lemony cotton candy. The species was formerly included in the genus Rheedia, which has since been absorbed into Garcinia, as Rheedias species are now known as “new world mangosteens.

The bole of Madruno is cylindrical and can be up to 30 cm in diameter. The leaves are dark green and leathery.

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Cultivation:
Garcinia madruno is well adapted to a wide variety of soils, tolerating even poor soils or heavy clay. It is a slow grower and takes about 5 to 7 years to fruit. When young, it must be protected from frosts and it will not fruit in cold areas.

Edible Uses:The fruit is eaten raw. This fruit similar in flavor to a sweet, yet tart lemon, but has the texture of a mangosteen. The flesh of this fruit will melts in mouth.

Medicinal Uses: The leaves of Charichuelo Fruit tree are dark green and leathery. The tree yields yellow latex which is used to treat ulcers and other sores.

Other Uses: The tree yields greenish resin called Maria Balsam. The wood is pinkish, coarse-textured, hard, and heavy. It is used for making furniture, in flooring, general carpentry, and heavy construction.

A greenish resin, called ‘Maria Balsam’, is obtained from the tree. The pinkish wood is coarse-textured, irregular-grained, hard and heavy. It is not commonly used, mainly being employed locally in construction and as a fuel. We do not have any more information on the wood of this species, but a general description of the wood for trees in the Americas which were formerly considered to be in the genus Rheedia is as follows:- The heartwood is dark yellow-brown, grayish- or pinkish-brown, merging gradually into the sapwood; surfaces are sometimes specked with resinous exudations. The texture is medium to coarse; the grain straight to irregular and roey; luster medium to rather low; it is free from discernible odour or taste. Species in Surinam are rated durable to attack by decay fungi and fairly resistant to dry wood termites. Species in Colombia are resistant to a brown-rot fungus but not the white-rot in a laboratory assay. Under field conditions the wood was susceptible to decay and attack by insects. It dries rapidly, but is reported to be moderately difficult to air season, tending to warp and check. Reports on workability vary with species from moderate to high resistance to cutting to machining fairly well; reports on ease of finishing are also variable. The wood is used for purposes such as furniture, flooring (quarter sawn), heavy construction, and general carpentry.

Disclaimer : The information presented herein is intended for educational purposes only. Individual results may vary, and before using any supplement, it is always advisable to consult with your own health care provider.

Resources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garcinia_madruno
https://miamifruit.org/products/charichuelo-box
https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Garcinia+madruno

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