Pourouma cecropiifolia
The size of the plant and of its bag can vary a little from the photograph — each one grows at its own pace. We keep them as consistent as we can.
Overview
Uvilla is the "Amazon grape": a pioneer tree with large, palmate leaves, related to the cecropias, that bears clusters of purple, grape-like fruit. Its white pulp is juicy, sweet and creamy. It's eaten fresh throughout its native Amazon range and is almost unknown outside it: a fruit for collectors.
Culture
- Habit
- Evergreen Tree
- Height
- 15.00 m
- Growth Rate
- Fast
- Cultivation Status
- Cultivated, Wild
A tree of the humid tropics that grows fast in full sun or partial shade. It wants fertile soil rich in organic matter, constantly moist and well drained, and shelter from strong winds. It adapts well to Costa Rica's humid lowland and premontane zones. Planting distance: 3–4 m.
Edible Uses
The fruits are eaten fresh: squeeze the skin, enjoy the sweet pulp and discard the seed. They also go into juices, smoothies and desserts, and crops are abundant in the right climate.
Medicinal
No well-documented medicinal uses.
Traditional uses for information only. Not a substitute for advice from a health professional.
Agroforestry
A fast-growing pioneer species that reaches the emergent stratum. It gives early shade to slower climax species while it bears fruit, and it's useful for restoring degraded land.