Caryodendron orinocense
Caryodendron orinocense
Safety & Hazards
None known
Cultivation Details
A plant of the semi-arid to moist tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 2,300 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 20 - 29°c, but can tolerate 12 - 35°c[1]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,200 - 3,000mm, but tolerates 800 - 5,000mm[1]. Prefers a position in full sun[2]. Succeeds on a wide range of soils[2]. Tolerates a few months of mild drought and withstands brief waterlogging[2, 1]. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 6, tolerating 4.5 - 6.5[1]. Plant growth is rapid, with fruiting usually beginning in the seventh year when trees are around 7 metres tall[2, 1]. Occasional plants will commence fruiting when as young as 4 - 5 years old[2]. The average weight of a nut is 8.5 g, attaining 12.5 g or more in superior selections[2]. A 10 year old tree can yield 100 - 250 kg of nuts per annum, an old specimen has given about 800 kg[2]. There is the potential for an annual production of 3,500 - 5,000 kg of oil per ha from trees bearing nuts with an oil content of 57%[2]. Both monoecious and dioecious trees have been reported[2] - it is important to make sure you are either growing monoecious forms, or have both male and female dioecious forms if seed is required.
Propagation
Seed - it has a short viability and so should preferably be sown within 10 days of harvesting[2]. It is reputed to fail to germinate if more than 35 days old[2]. Shade is required during the first year of growth, followed by full exposure to the sun on transplanting when around 50 cm high at the onset of the following rainy season[2]. Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2026-02-20. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Caryodendron+orinocense>
Pollinators
Wind
References
- [1]Ecocrop — http://ecocrop.fao.org/ecocrop/srv/en/home ↩︎Basic information on a wide range of useful plants, plus details of environmental needs where available.
- [2]Edible Nuts. — Wickens G.E. · FAO, Rome. · 1995 · http://www.fao.org/docrep/ · ISBN 92-5-103748-5 ↩︎Detailed information on 20 of the most valuable nut crops, plus more basic information on a wide range of other nut-producing plants. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
- [3]Nuts. — Howes. F. N. · Faber · 1948 · ISBN - ↩︎Rather old but still a masterpiece. Has sections on tropical and temperate plants with edible nuts plus a section on nut plants in Britain. Very readable.
- [4]Useful Plants of the Siona and Secoya Indians of Eastern Ecuador. — Vickers W.T.; Plowman T. · Field Museum of Natural History; USA. · 1984 · http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org · ISBN 0015 - 0746 ↩︎Very terse, but it gives the uses of a large number of species. It can be downloaded from the Internet.