Genipa americana () is a species of in the family Rubiaceae. It is native to the of North America and South America, as well as the Caribbean.
Description
Genipa americana are up to 30 m tall and up to 60 cm dbh.
Their bark is smooth with little fissures.
The
leaf are opposite, obovate, or obovate oblong, 10–35 cm long, 6–13 cm wide, and glossy dark green, with entire margin, acute or acuminate apex, and attenuated base.
The inflorescences are cymes up to 10 cm long.
The
are white to yellowish, slightly fragrant,
Sepal bell-shaped,
Petal at 2–4.5 cm long, trumpet-shaped, and five- or six-lobed.
The five short
are inserted on top of the corolla tube.
The
fruit is a thick-skinned edible greyish berry 10–12 cm long, 5–9 cm in diameter.
Distribution and habitat
Genipa americana is native to the
of the
Americas, from the Caribbean south to
Argentina.
It is present from sea level up to 1200 m of elevation,
although some argue the original native range as being northern
South America.
Vernacular names
In English, the tree is known as the
genip tree and the fruit as
genipap .
Colombia: jagua, caruto, huito;
Its name has been reconstructed as we'e (*weʔe) in proto-language-Tucanoan.[Chacon, Thiago (2013). On Proto-Languages and Archaeological Cultures: pre-history and material culture in the Tukanoan Family. In Revista Brasileira de Linguística Antropológica. Vol. 5, No. 1, pp. 217–245.]
Chemical compounds
The following compounds have been isolated from
G. americana: genipic acid,
genipinic acid,
(all three from the fruit) and
geniposidic acid (leaves).
Uses
The unripe fruit of
G. americana yields a liquid used as a deep purple dye for tattoos, skin painting, insect repellent
and food.
This species is also cultivated for its edible , which are eaten in preserves or made into drinks, jelly, or ice cream.
The wood is reported to be resistant, strong, and easily worked; it is used in the making of utensils and in construction and carpentry.
Gallery
See also
