Byrsonima crassifolia

Byrsonima crassifolia

The nance or maricao cimun, craboo, golden spoon (Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) Kunth, 1822) is an arboreal species belonging to the Malpighiaceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Rosidi class,
Malpighiales Order,
Malpighiaceae family,
Genus Byrsonima,
Species B. crassifolia.
The term is basionym:
– Malpighia crassifolia L..
The terms are synonymous:
– Brysonima coriacea (Sw.) DC.;
– Byrsonima cinerea (Poir.) DC.;
– Byrsonima coriacea (Sw.) DC.;
– Byrsonima coriacea f. typica Nied.;
– Byrsonima coriacea var. swartziana Nied.;
– Byrsonima cotinifolia Kunth;
– Byrsonima crassifolia Lunan;
– Byrsonima crassifolia Lunan ex Griseb.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia f. cubensis (A.Juss.) Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia f. ferruginea (Kunth) Griseb.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia f. kunthiana Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia subsp. insulata Cuatrec.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. cinerea (Poir.) Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. jamaicensis (Urb. & Nied.) Urb. & Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. lanceolata Cuatrec.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. moureila (Aubl.) DC.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. peruviana Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. spruceana Nied.;
– Byrsonima crassifolia var. typica Nied.;
– Byrsonima cubensis A.Juss.;
– Byrsonima cumingiana A.Juss.;
– Byrsonima fagifolia Nied.;
– Byrsonima fendleri Turcz.;
– Byrsonima ferruginea Kunth;
– Byrsonima ferruginea var. moureila Benth.;
– Byrsonima jamaicensis Urb. & Nied.;
– Byrsonima karwinskiana A.Juss.;
– Byrsonima lanceolata DC.;
– Byrsonima laurifolia Kunth;
– Byrsonima laurifolia var. guatemalensis Nied.;
– Byrsonima montana Kunth;
– Byrsonima moritziana Turcz.;
– Byrsonima moureila (Aubl.) G.Don;
– Byrsonima moureila (Aubl.) Loudon;
– Byrsonima moureila Aubl.;
– Byrsonima panamensis Beurl.;
– Byrsonima pulchra DC.;
– Byrsonima rhopalifolia Kunth;
– Byrsonima rufescens Bertol.;
– Byrsonima spruceana Kralik, 1897;
– Byrsonima spruceana Nied.;
– Byrsonima spruceane Nied.;
– Malpighia cinerea Poir.;
– Malpighia coriacea Sw.;
– Malpighia cotinifolia (Kunth) Spreng.;
– Malpighia lanceolata Poir.;
– Malpighia laurifolia (Kunth) Spreng.;
– Malpighia montana Spreng.;
– Malpighia moureila Aubl.;
– Malpighia pulchra (Moc. & Sessé);
– Malpighia rhopalifolia Spreng.;
– Malpighia rufa Poir..
All’interno di questa specie si riconoscono due forme:
– Byrsonima crassifolia f. crassifolia;
– Byrsonima crassifolia f. ferruginea Nied., 1901.

Etymology –
The term Byrsonima is an etymology not reported by the author, but Laurent de Jussieu reports that the collector, Richard, calls them Byrsonia because these species are used in the countries of origin to tan leather. The first part is generally connected to the Greek βύρσα býrsa leather, while the interpretation of the suffix is discussed and obscure, which some connect to the Greek ὄνομα ónoma nome, that is, named for leather, others to the verb ὀνίνημι oninemi, to be useful, therefore useful for leather.
The specific epithet crassifolia comes from the Latin “crassus”, i.e. large, thick, and “folium”, i.e. leaf, in reference to the consistency of the leaves.

Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Byrsonima crassifolia is a plant native to an area that includes: central Mexico, through Central America, to Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil; it is also found in Trinidad, Barbados, Curaçao, St. Martin, Dominica, Guadeloupe, Puerto Rico, Haiti, Dominican Republic and throughout Cuba and the Isle of Pines.
It is sometimes grown for its edible fruits.
Its habitat is that of woods, in open pine forests and grassy savannahs, limited to tropical and subtropical climates. In Central and South America, the tree grows from sea level to an altitude of 1,800 m.

Description –
Byrsonima crassifolia is a plant that grows in the form of a semi-deciduous shrub or tree, up to about 10 m tall.
The trunk has a diameter of 25 cm, with greyish cracked bark and rather thin branches on which the scars of fallen leaves are evident; the young branches are densely tomentose.
The leaves are opposite, entire, oblong or elliptical, dark green in colour, leathery and shiny above, covered with a thin rust-coloured tomentum below, 4-14 cm long and 3-6 cm wide.
The inflorescences are compact, erect terminal racemes, 10-15 cm long, bearing numerous flowers with a corolla with five rounded petals, tapering at the base, 6 mm long, initially yellow in colour, then orange, with ruffled margins and 10 yellow stamens pale.
Anthesis takes place during a long period which lasts for 4-8 months depending on the climate, even if the single tree blooms for a considerably shorter duration.
The fruit is a globose drupe, yellow when ripe, about 2 cm in diameter, in some selected varieties even 5-7 cm, with yellow pulp surrounding the yellow woody endocarp.
Inside there are 1-3 seeds.

Cultivation –
Byrsonima crassifolia is a plant widely distributed in nature, but little cultivated outside its areas of origin, as the fruits are used almost exclusively by local populations.
The tree is also a local source of medicines and various products. The plant is occasionally grown for its fruit in Mexico and parts of Central America.
It lives in places with warm, semi-warm and temperate climates. It grows and develops well in places with rainfall between 600 and 3000 mm per year, with average temperatures between 21 and 28 °C. It does not tolerate temperatures below freezing point. It grows on open, stony slopes of tropical deciduous forests, as well as hillsides often formed by metamorphic rocks and flat terrain. It is found in rather degraded soils. It can tolerate excessively rapid or poorly drained conditions that occur in rainy season flooding, although it does not tolerate standing water. It is observed in abandoned cultivated areas.
The soils in which it grows naturally are: brown rocky, clayey, yellow-clayey, volcanic lava, stony-brown, intense red limestone.
It is not particularly demanding in terms of soil, being able to grow on both sandy and rocky ones, although it grows best in well-drained ones with the addition of organic substance.
The plant can be cultivated in full sun in tropical and subtropical areas, being sensitive to temperatures already around 0 °C, even if it can tolerate exceptional and isolated drops of a few degrees lower for a very short period. Well-rooted plants can tolerate long periods of dryness.
The trees are tolerant of a wide range of environments, from humid tropical lowlands to semi-desert regions. The tree is often found on rocky soil and grows well on sandy and alkaline-sandy soils.
Although successful in poor soils, better yields are achieved when a good amount of organic matter is added. It grows best in fertile, well-drained soil.
The plants, in addition to drought, are very tolerant of salty winds. It is also a fire resistant tree.
Reproduction occurs by seed, which germinates in 3-6 weeks, in sandy loam kept humid at a temperature of 20-22 °C.
However, layering or grafting is used to reproduce a particular variety.
The first fruiting occurs between the 3rd and 4th year of age and the plant grows slowly.

Customs and Traditions –
Byrsonima crassifolia is a plant known by various common names, including: craboo, golden-spoon, shoemaker’s tree, wild cherry (English); coumaté, maurissi, morossif, oreilles d’âne, prunier savane (French); murici, murici-do-campo, murici-da-praia (Portuguese); chaparro, chaparro de sabana, chaparro manteco, indano, maricao cicatricirón, muricí, murucí, nancé, nanche, nanche amarillo, nanche dulce, nancite, paraleja, yoco (Spanish).
It is a plant of great silvicultural and ecological importance. The species restores the regenerative capacity of the forest as it grows in full sun and produces fruit quickly after being planted. This attracts animals that contribute to seed dispersal. It is found at altitudes between 50 and 1800 m. It is a very common primary or secondary species that constitutes the tree layer of prairies or so-called “savanna forests”.
The fruit can be consumed when ripe. It has a sweet flavor and an intense yellow color, with a bitter aftertaste. Bitterness is strongly accentuated in immature drupes, which are also edible.
In Costa Rica, people usually eat the fruit or a flavored liquor known as vino de nance.
In Panama the fruits are eaten raw or cooked as dessert. Throughout the country it is prepared cooked in water with sugar or scrapings, with corn starch, or with sweet corn milk or even flour, called “pesada de nance”, always accompanied by fresh white cheese. In some regions milk is added to this preparation. Nance is also consumed in juices, soft drinks, hard drinks (frozen) and even in ice cream and even as a dessert prepared with fruit cooked in water and sugar. Its firewood is also very popular, giving an exquisite aroma and flavor to roasted meats.
In Mexico it is consumed and prepared in various ways: raw, salted, enchilated, syrupy, in ice cream, in frozen popsicles, in the form of fresh water, shaved into snow and even tanned with the liquor known as Vino or Licor de changunga or from Nancite , according to the name it receives in each country. It is one of the most popular fruits that are fermented for the preparation of tepache.
In Nicaragua the fruit is usually eaten and nancite candy is one of the country’s typical sweets.
The plant also has medicinal uses.
The most common medicinal use of this plant is against diarrhea. Although it is also indicated in other digestive disorders such as dysentery, stomach pain, emptiness, lack of digestion, bile and constipation. In the treatment of these conditions, cooked bark is used orally.
It is used in gynecological problems such as uterine infections and inflammation of the ovaries, prevents abortion and facilitates childbirth, and is applied in skin diseases, against scabies, pimples and cloves. Its cooking combined with cedar bark serves to wash wounds.
Other medicinal uses that are given are: kidney disease, waist pain, cold, diabetes, as a tonic, to tighten gums, wounds and snake bites. It is attributed to antipyretic and astringent properties. Its effectiveness is due to the astringent action of the tannin contained in it.
Historical documents report that in the 16th century, Francisco Hernández said: “the fruit is cold and moist in nature, edible and favorable to those who have a fever”.
No further information appears until the 20th century when Maximino Martínez defines it as: acaricide, antiblenorrhagic, antidiarrheal, antitumor, aperitif, astringent, intestinal atony, cathartic, eupeptic, galactogenic, metrorrhagic and tonic.
The bark contains tannins up to about 28% and oxalic acid and for this reason the plant was used in the past for tanning leather.
The wood, hard and flexible, is used in rural construction, to make tools, as firewood and to produce charcoal.
A dye is obtained from the peel of the fruit. Parts of the plant, in particular the bark, are used in traditional medicine for their antimicrobial and antifungal properties. The indigenous populations of Venezuela use to put the shredded young branches in water to stun fish and catch them.
Finally, the tree also has a limited use as an ornamental, due to its lush foliage and rich flowering, but it deserves greater diffusion.
Additionally the plant can be used for living fences and has been successfully used to restore agricultural productivity in fallow fields. The tree is used in the restoration of degraded areas and in agroforestry systems, for its rapid growth and for its fruits, which attract fauna. In Mexico there are mixed plantations with Spondia ssp.
Chemical studies carried out in the savannahs of Venezuela demonstrate that it induces the accumulation of organic matter in the soil.
As for the heartwood, this is reddish or pinkish-brown; the thin band of sapwood is greyish. It has a coarse structure; closed and crossed. Wood is heavy, hard, tough, strong, brittle, and only moderately durable. It needs a good polish. Wood is usually only available in small sizes; it is highly appreciated for boat dinghies and is used for tool handles, turning, cabinet making, furniture and small constructions.
In Brazil, wood is chosen for the hot fire on which the stimulating paste of guaraná (Paullinia cupana) is smoked because the burning wood has a pleasant odor.
In some areas the wood is used to produce good quality charcoal.

Preparation Method –
Byrsonima crassifolia is a plant used, especially in its natural growth area, for both food and medicinal purposes.
The fruits have a very pungent and distinct flavor and odor. The fruit with a sour but generally pleasant flavor is consumed fresh, cooked or used to make ice cream or make refreshing drinks and liqueurs. The ripe fruit deteriorates quickly, but can be stored in water for months and is often sold in local markets in this way.
The fruits are eaten raw or cooked as dessert. In rural areas of Panama, the dessert prepared with the addition of sugar and flour, known as pescada de nance, is very popular. The fruits are also used to prepare dulce de nance, a dessert prepared with fruit cooked in water and sugar. In Nicaragua (where the fruit is called nancite), it is a popular ingredient for several desserts, including raspados (a frozen dessert made from a drink prepared with nancite) and a dessert made by letting the fruit ferment with a little sugar in a bottle. for several months (usually from harvest around August-September until December) – it is sometimes called “nancite in vinegar”.
The fruits are also often used to prepare carbonated drinks, ice cream and juices; in Brazil, to flavor mezcal-based liquors or to prepare an oily, acidic, fermented drink known as chicha, the standard term applied to assorted beer-like drinks made from fruit or corn. Nance is used to distill a rum-like liquor called crema de nance in Costa Rica. Mexico produces a licor de nanche.
In Veracruz, Mexico, it is called nanche and is a common sweet item that can be found in the form of popsicles (percheronas) and ice sorbets (raspado).
In Panama the wood of the tree is used as an aromatic for smoking and grilling.
Furthermore, an edible fat is extracted from the fruit with boiling water.
The following products are used for medicinal purposes.
The bark (probably the inner bark) is rich in tannins and has been used medicinally by many local populations. It is antidote, anti-inflammatory, astringent, emmenagogue, febrifuge and purgative.
It has been used to treat gastrointestinal disorders, including indigestion, diarrhea, and dysentery; lung disorders; snake bites; fevers; cases of leucorrhoea; and to promote menstruation.
The bark has been used externally as a cleanser or poultice to treat wounds, skin infections, ulcers, etc.
As a mouthwash it has been used to tighten teeth where the gums are diseased.
An infusion of the leaves is used to treat high blood pressure.
The leaves are used as a wash to cleanse and soothe ulcers.
Brown powder from the lower surface of the leaf is applied to the cut end of the umbilical cord to prevent infection.
The sap from the bark and leaves is inserted into the penile orifice as a treatment for gonorrhea.
The leaves contain various flavonoids, saponins and terpenes.
An ink can be made from the bitter green fruit and the bark produces a strong fibre.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.

Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/271103724/original.jpeg

Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.