Morisonia speciosa, commonly known as bola verde, is a species of tree in the family Capparaceae. It is native to the Gran Chaco region of Bolivia, Paraguay, western Brazil, and northern Argentina. It was formerly known under the scientific names Anisocapparis speciosa and Capparis speciosa. The fruit, seeds, and flowers of Morisonia speciosa are edible. The fruit is very sweet and has a spicy flavor reminiscent of mangoes. The Toba and Wichí peoples traditionally use it both culinarily and medicinally.
| Morisonia speciosa | |
|---|---|
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| Morisonia speciosa in Laguna Fortín General Díaz, Paraguay | |
Scientific classification 
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| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Eudicots |
| Clade: | Rosids |
| Order: | Brassicales |
| Family: | Capparaceae |
| Genus: | Morisonia |
| Species: | M. speciosa
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| Binomial name | |
| Morisonia speciosa | |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Taxon and naming
editMorisonia speciosa was first described in scientific literature by August Grisebach as Capparis speciosa as published in Abhandlungen der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen in 1879. It was transferred from the genus Capparis to the monotypic genus Anisocapparis following a description by Xavier Cornejo and Hugh Iltis published in a 2008 paper.[3] It was renamed Morisonia speciosa in 2018.[2]
Morisonia speciosa is commonly known as bola verde. Other common names for the species include amarguillo, anquitsuk, ancocha, palo verde, payaguá naranja, sacha limón, and sacha naranja.[4] The fruit is referred to as atsaj by the Wichí and neloma by the Qomle'ec (Toba) and in Pilagá.[5]
Distribution
editMorisonia speciosa is native to the Gran Chaco region and can be found in Bolivia, Paraguay, western Brazil, and northern Argentina.[6][7] It grows in tropical dry broadleaf forests, sometimes co-occurring with carob trees.[5]
Description
editMorisonia speciosa is a tree or shrub that is 2–8 metres (6 ft 7 in – 26 ft 3 in) in height. It has a dense crown and foliage, with fine, tortuous branches and smooth, thornless, dark green bark. Its elliptic, green leaves are simple and alternate, ranging from 3–8 centimetres (1.2–3.1 in) in length and 2–4 centimetres (0.79–1.57 in) in width. The margins of the leaves are simple, with a prominent midrib on the underside, and often notched at the tip, with a small mucron or spine.[6]
Morisonia speciosa has flowers with anisosepalous calyces which are distinctively decussate-imbricate. The floral nectaries have four dimorphic scales. The pollen grains have a fine reticulate surface.[7] The yellowish flowers infloresce solitarily, reaching 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) in length.[6]
The fruit of Morisonia speciosa are green spherical berries with a shiny exterior. They are 3–5 centimetres (1.2–2.0 in) in diameter and hang from long peduncles. They contain a yellow-orange pulp and four to eight dark, subglobose seeds[8][6] which are strongly anisocotylary. They have a compact major cotyledon and a reduced or suppressed minor cotyledon.[7]
Human use
editThe fruit, seeds, and flowers of Morisonia speciosa are edible. The yellowish pulp of the fruit is very sweet and has a spicy flavor reminiscent of mangoes.[5] It is a significant source of dietary fiber, vitamin C and magnesium.[6] The seeds and pulp have naturally occurring antioxidants.[6]
The Toba and Wichí peoples have traditionally used Morisonia speciosa for culinary and medicinal purposes.[9] The fruits are ripe when they fall from the tree. Preservation of the fruit can be done through sun-drying,[5] and underripe fruit may be cooked. Preparation of the seeds involves boiling them and drying them in the sun. They are then crushed and made into flour or a puree that is often combined with oil or fat.[5] The flowers of Morisonia speciosa have a bitter taste that can be removed by boiling.[9][10]
Traditional medicinal uses for Morisonia speciosa include treatments for toothaches, as an antidysenteric, and against "cold stomach".[11] The bark of Morisonia speciosa is ground and used in folk veterinary medicine for wound healing and as a treatment for skin myiasis.[12] The fruit has been known to be used for fishing bait and the leaves have been used to dye chaguar fibers.[13]
Fruits of the plant are also eaten by gray brockets.[14]
References
edit- ^ Rivers, M.C. (2022). "Pajagua Naranja". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2022: e.T211743877A211924005. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2022-2.RLTS.T211743877A211924005.en. Retrieved 28 May 2024.
- ^ a b Morisonia speciosa (Griseb.) Christenh. & Byng. Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
- ^ Cornejo, Xavier (31 December 2018). "Notes on the Nomenclature of Neotropical Capparaceae: An Answer to Global flora". Harvard Papers in Botany. 23 (2): 179. doi:10.3100/hpib.v23iss2.2018.n3.
- ^ "Anisocapparis speciosa (amarguillo - sacha naranja - sacha limón - ) | SIB, Parques Nacionales, Argentina". Sistema de Información de Biodiversidad (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Zlachevsk, Natalia (2021). "Los frutos silvestres del Gran Chaco y sus usos tradicionales indígenas según las mujeres Wichí, Pilagá y Qomle'ec" (PDF) (in Spanish). Slow Food Baluarte.
- ^ a b c d e f Coronel, Eva; Caballero, Silvia; Gonzalez, Gabriela; Sunguino, Miho; Mereles, Laura (11 October 2021). "Frutos silvestres de Anisocapparis speciosa 'pajagua naranja' composición proximal, minerales y potencial antioxidante: Wild fruits of Anisocapparis speciosa 'orange pajagua' proximal composition, minerals and antioxidant potential". South Florida Journal of Development (in Spanish). 2 (5): 6608–6618. doi:10.46932/sfjdv2n5-022.
- ^ a b c Cornejo, Xavier; Iltis, Hugh H.; Tomb, A. Spencer (2008). "Anisocapparis Y Monilicarpa: Dos Nuevos Géneros De Capparaceae De América Del Sur". Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas (in Spanish). 2 (1): 61–74. ISSN 1934-5259. JSTOR 41971606.
- ^ Scarpa, Gustavo F.; Pacor, Paola (1 January 2015). "Etnobotánica y religiosidad indígena chorote: El árbol «eje del mundo» y «de la regeneración inagotable»". Aibr, Revista de Antropología Iberoamericana (in Spanish). 10 (1): 75–98. doi:10.11156/aibr.100105.
- ^ a b Pautassi, Laura; Alegre, Marcelo (2022). Entre la regulación y la política pública: El derecho a la alimentación adecuada en Argentina (in Spanish). EUDEBA. ISBN 978-950-23-3243-7.
- ^ Montani, Maria Cecilia; Scarpa, Gustavo F. (31 July 2016). "Recursos Vegetales y Prácticas Alimentarias Entre Indígenas Tapiete del Noreste de la Provincia de Salta, Argentina". Darwiniana (in Spanish): 12–30. doi:10.14522/darwiniana.2016.41.684.
- ^ Martinez, Jose L.; Munoz-Acevedo, Amner; Rai, Mahendra (2019). Ethnobotany: Local Knowledge and Traditions. CRC Press. ISBN 978-0-429-75387-9.
- ^ Scarpa, Gustavo F. (2000). "Plants Employed in Traditional Veterinary Medicine by the Criollos of the Northwestern Argentine Chaco". Darwiniana. 38 (3/4): 261. ISSN 0011-6793. JSTOR 23223891.
- ^ Perret, Myriam Fernanda (12 April 2022). "Hacia el tiempo de las flores: Temporalidades y calendarios en entramados de humanos y no-humanos". Etnografías Contemporáneas (in Spanish). 8 (14).
- ^ Stallings, Jody R. (June 1984). "Notes on Feeding Habits of Mazama Gouazoubira in the Chaco Boreal of Paraguay". Biotropica. 16 (2): 155–157. doi:10.2307/2387849. JSTOR 2387849.