From Eat the Weeds
and other things, too
by Green Deane
Coco-Plums
Chrysobalanus
icaco:
Multi-Colored Fruit
Coco-plums are three quarters patriotic: They can be red, white, or
blue ( and yellow.)
Actually,
the “blue” is deep purple and the yellow more a cream. Trees near the
shore tend to have light colored fruit that is round whereas a
variation inland tends to be oval and red to dark purple.
Look
for the coco-plum in cypress swamps, low areas, tree islands, beaches,
sand dunes, canals, riverside, oceanside thickets, hammocks, by lakes,
ponds and in landscaping. In reference to landscaping, don’t
confuse it with the Natal Plum which also has an edible fruit but the
Natal Plum is covered with intense thorns.
White cocoplums can be pure white or have a pink blush
Red coco plum, note round/oval leaves
The
Coco-plum has been introduced to tropical areas around the
world. In Florida it is found from the center of the state
south. In the wild
it grows up to 30 feet tall, but can be trained into a compact hedge as
well.
Opinions vary on the value of the fruit. Some think the
pulp tastes like astringent sweet cotton. I have always found it soft
and sweet. Some will say the blue tastes great and the white tastes
bad, where as I have found them to taste the same. It’is made
into jams and jellies. In Cuba it’s manipulated into a sweet preserve
that’s served in Havana restaurants as a sobremesa or dessert. The
large kernel removed from its shell is edible raw or cooked. Some think
it has the faint flavor of almond. To me it tastes like granola. Many
think the kernel is far better when the fruit and kernel are both
pierced so the juice of the pulp is allowed to seep into the kernel.
The botanical name is Chrysobaloanus
icaco
(crease-oh-BAL-ah-nus eye-KAY-koh). In botanical accounts that haven’t
a clue “Chrysobaloanus” is interpreted to mean “Golden
Apple.” In
more informed but polite reports it is “golden acorn” which is getting
closer to the truth. It really means “golden glans” (or the end of
human penis.) Carl Linnaeus, the fellow who started giving plants
scientific names, was the original dirty old man. The barnacle got the
same name as well, Balanus. Icaco, the individual species name, is the
modern version of Hicaco which was what the plant was originally called
in Taino on the island of Hispaniola. It is said eye-KAY-koh, in the
Roman, but eye-KAH-koh is also common.
The oil in the
kernel can be substituted for almond oil. The seed is about 21% oil by
weight. In fact, the seeds can be strung on sticks and burned like a
candle. The oil can also be used to make candles, soap, and axle
grease. The kernels (and leaves) can also be used to make a black dye
that helps fibers resist decay.
The Coco-plum has has many
native medical uses (see Herb Blurb below.) The leaves and bark have
been used to treat dysentery and diarrhea, diabetes, bladder problems
and kidney issues. Tea from the leaves can make mice hypoglycemic.
With all that said, there is a second Coco-plum, Chrysobaloanus icaco var.
pellocarpus
(pel-oh-KAR-pus) meaning dark fruit with translucent
spots. The
pellocarpus lives inland where it’s wet, and has smaller, dark purple
fruit. New growth is reddish or yellow.
Green Deane’s
“Itemized” Plant Profile
Identification:
Both a shrub to 30-foot tree, leaves alternate, egg-shaped though
variable, indented at tip, 1.5 to 3 inches long, leathery, glossy, new
growth can be yellow green or reddish. Flowers small and white, in
clusters. Fruit white to yellow to red to purple, thin skinned.
Time of year:
Spring to fall but usually a large crop in late spring and another in
late fall.
Environment:
Mainland, keys, near the coast or hammocks, inland near bodies of fresh
water
Method of
preparation: Fruit and kernel raw and or cooked. Made into
jelly, jam and syrup. Can be canned.
HERB BLURB
Chrysobalanus
icaco; Plasmid pUC 9.1; Escherichia coli; Genotoxic
potentiality of aquerous extract prepared from Chrysobalanus icaco
L. leaves. .
Abstract: Plants
have been related to our lives, being used as medicine, regardless of
scientific evidence of side effects. This work analyses the
toxicological effects of Chrysobalanus
icaco
L. aqueous extract, used in different pathologies. It was studied
through: (i) alteration of plasmid pUC 9.1 topology; (ii) survival of
bacterial strains submitted, or not, to previous treatment with SnCl2;
(iii) transformation efficiency of E. coli strain by the treatment with
the plasmid pUC 9.1. In (i), the treatment of the plasmid resulted in
DNA single-strand breaks (SSB). A decrease of the lethal effect induced
by SnCl2 in presence of the extract was found, while no C. icaco
bacterial survival reduction was observed. The transformation
efficiency of the plasmid was also reduced. Results suggest that the
extract could present a potential genotoxic effect, as demonstrated
either by the induction of SSB in plasmid or in transformation
efficiency experiments. Finally, it presents an antioxidant action.
Chrysobalanus
icaco
L. extract for antiangiogenic potential observation. Alves De Paulo S,
Teruszkin Balassiano I, Henriques Silva N, Oliveira Castilho R, Coelho
Kaplan MA, Currie Cabral M, da Costa Carvalho MG. Instituto de
Biofisica Carlos Chagas Filho, Laboratorio de Controle da Expressao
Genica, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Centro de Ciencias da
Saude, Bloco C, Cidade Universitaria, CEP 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro,
Brasil.
Angiogenesis is an important process in several
physiological situations and it is also implicated in the development
of some diseases such as diabetes and cancer. This study investigated
the antiangiogenic potential of Chrysobalanus
icaco
methanol extract in the chicken embrionary tissue. Clinical trials for
cancer treatment using drugs based on this mechanism are already in
progress. Chorioallantoic membrane model (CAM) of chicken embryos, with
C. icaco
methanol extract in
plastic diskes was used. The results showed an average of 44%
angiogenesis inhibition in CAM areas with the plant extract compared to
the controls. The data indicate that C. icaco methanol
extract reduce the formation of new blood vessels in chicken
chorioallantoic membrane.
Green Deane's
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contained on this website is strictly and categorically intended as a
reference to be used in conjunction with experts in your area. Foraging
should never begin without the guidance and approval of a local plant
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use or misuse of information contained in this website.
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