|
|
Tropical Plant "Chupa-Chupa"
Quararibea Cordata
Little-known outside its natural range, this member of the
Bombacaceae has nomenclatural problems. Its current botanical
designation is Quararibea cordata Vischer (syn. Matisia
cordata Humb. & Bonpl.), though it still is being
dealt with in Brazil and Colombia under the latter binomial,
and there are taxonomists who prefer not to merge Matisia
with Quararibea. In addition, there is no generally
accepted vernacular name. "Sapote" and "zapote" predominate
in native countries but these terms, derived from the Nahuatl
word for "soft, sweet", are applied to several other fruits
and to one in particular, the sapote, Pouteria sapota,
q.v.
To distinguish Quararibea cordata, one writer proposed
"South American sapote", and this has been repeated, but it
is cumbersome and strictly artificial, not a name in use in
any country of origin. Therefore, I have chosen chupa-chupa,
which is a valid colloquial name in Colombia and Peru,
certainly euphonius, and, as Dr. Victor Patino has stated,
descriptive of the manner in which the flesh is chewed from
the large seeds. In Peru and Colombia, the species may also
be called zapote chupachupa, zapote chupa, sapote de monte,
or sapotillo. In Brazil, it is known as sapota,
sapote-do-peru, or sapota-do-solimóes, in reference
to the Solimóes River.
Chupa-Chupa Description
The
chupa-chupa tree is fast-growing, erect, to 130 or even 145
ft (40-45 m) high in the wild, though often no more than 40
ft (12 m) in cultivation. It is sometimes buttressed; has
stiff branches in tiered whorls of 5; and copious gummy yellow
latex. The semi-deciduous, alternate, long-petioled leaves,
clustered in rosettes near the ends of the branches, are broadly
heart-shaped, normally 6 to 12 in (15-30 cm) long and nearly
as wide. Short-stalked, yellowish-white or rose-tinted, 5-petalled
flowers, about 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, with 5 conspicuous, protruding
stamens and pistil, are borne in masses along the lesser branches
and on the trunk.
The fruit is rounded, ovoid or elliptic with a prominent,
rounded knob at the apex and is capped with a 2- to 5-lobed,
velvety, leathery, strongly persistent calyx at the base;
4 to 5 3/4 in (10-14.5 cm) long and to 3 3/16 in (8 cm) wide,
and may weigh as much as 28 oz (800 g). The rind is thick,
leathery, greenish-brown, and downy. The flesh, orange-yellow,
soft, juicy, sweet and of agreeable flavor surrounds 2 to
5 seeds, to 1 1/2 in (4 cm) long and 1 in (2.5 cm) wide, from
which long fibers extend through the flesh.
Chupa-Chupa Origin
and Distribution
The
tree grows wild in lowland rainforests of Peru, Ecuador and
adjacent areas of Brazil, especially around the mouth of the
Javari River. It is common in the western part of Amazonas,
southwestern Venezuela, and in the Cauca and Magdalena Valleys
of Colombia. It flourishes and produces especially well near
the sea at Tumaco, Colombia. The fruits are plentiful in the
markets of Antioquia, Buenaventura and Bogotá, Colombia; Puerto
Viejo, Ecuador; the Brazilian towns of Tefé, Esperanca, Sao
Paulo de Olivenca, Tabetinga, Benjamin Constant and Atalaia
do Norte; and elsewhere.
There
were only 3 trees in gardens in Belém in 1979. The Instituto
Nacional de Pesquisas da Amazonia had 150 fruits sent there
for evaluation and 80 to 90% of the samplers rated them as
of excellent flavor and expressed interest in obtaining trees.
However, it is recognized that there is need for horticultural
improvement. In 1964, William Whitman obtained seeds from
Iquitos, Peru, raised seedlings; planted one on his own property
at Bal Harbour, Florida, and distributed the rest to private
experimenters. The first to fruit was that grown by B.C. Bowker,
Miami, in 1973. Whitman's tree and several others have also
borne fruit.
Chupa-Chupa Varieties
Some
of the fruits borne in Florida appear to be of better than
average quality. In northern Peru, there is reportedly a type
with little fiber and superior flavor.
Chupa-Chupa Pollination
The
flowers are pollinated by hummingbirds, bees and wasps. In
the afternoon some trees become self-compatible.
Chupa-Chupa Climate
The
chupa-chupa is a tropical to subtropical species. In Ecuador,
it ranges from sea-level to 4,000 or even 6,500 ft (1,200-2,000
m). In Florida, young trees need protection from winter cold.
For best performance, the tree needs full sun and plenty of
moisture.
Chupa-Chupa Soil
The
tree attains maximum dimensions in the low, wet, deep soils
of South American forests, yet it does well in cultivation
on the slopes of the Andes and seems to tolerate the dry,
oolitic limestone of South Florida's coastal ridge when enriched
with topsoil and fertilizer.
Chupa-Chupa Propagation
The
tree is commonly grown from seed but superior types should
be vegetatively propagated. Side-veneer grafting can be easily
done. Budding is not feasible.
Chupa-Chupa Season
and Harvesting
In
Brazil, the tree blooms from August to November and fruits
mature from February to May. Trees in Florida bloom in midwinter
and ripen their fruits in November. The fruit will stay on
the tree until it rots. It must be harvested with a knife
or a long cutting-pole. Light color around the edge of the
calyx is a sign of ripeness.
Chupa-Chupa Yield
Whitman's
tree bore 58 fruits in 1976. A normal crop may be 3,000. One
tree in Tefé, Brazil, produced an estimated crop of 6,000
or more fruits in a season.
Chupa-Chupa Pests
and Diseases
The
chupa-chupa is very prone to attack by fruit flies and in
some locations in South America is commonly infested with
their larvae. In Florida, the Keys whitefly, Aleurodicus
dispersus, and the Cuban May beetle, Phyllophaga bruneri,
attack the foliage.
Chupa-Chupa Food
Uses
This
is a fruit that has always been eaten out-of-hand. Those that
have the least fibrous flesh may be utilized for juice or
in other ways.
|
DestinationTropicals.com 
