Brazil nut

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Brazil nut

Brazil nut common name for the Lecythidaceae, a family of tropical trees. It includes the anchovy pear ( Grias cauliflora ), a West Indian species with edible fruit used for pickles, and several lumber trees of South America, e.g., the cannon-ball tree ( Couroupita guianensis ), some species of Barringtonia, and the Brazil nut ( Bertholletia excelsa ). The latter is found chiefly in Brazil along the Amazon and Orinoco rivers, but extensive groves have also been planted in N Bolivia. The edible Brazil nuts grow clumped together in large, round, woody and extremely hard seed pods the size of a large grapefruit. The meat of the seed (the "nut" ) is very rich in oil. The Brazil nut family is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Magnoliopsida, order Lecythidales.

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Brazil nut

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | Â© World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

Brazil nut Seed of an evergreen tree, which has leathery leaves and grows to 41m (135ft) tall. Its flowers produce a thick-walled fruit 10–30.5cm (4–12in) in diameter which contain 25–40 large seeds. Family Lecythidaceae; species Bertholletia excelsa.

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	Don't be so fussy: Bolivia tells European nut-eaters to calm down. Magazine article from: New Internationalist; 7/1/1999

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