AMAZONIAN SMALL FRUITS WITH COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL

Although most native Amazonian fruit species are trees, a few are wood y or herbaceous shrubs. The Myrtaceae is especially rich in small frui t species. The araca-boi (Eugenia stipitata McVaugh) was domesticated in western Amazonia for its deliciously flavored, sour pulp. The araca -pera (Psidium acutangulum DC) was managed in swidden second-growth an d around village sites for its pleasently flavored, sour fruit, freque ntly similar in flavor to the strawberry guava (P. cattleianum L.). Th e cacari or camu-camu (Myrciaria dubia (HBK) McVaugh) is a wild specie s that occurs in monospecific stands in flood-plains. It is an extreme ly sour, though pleasantly flavored fruit, with up to 4 g of ascorbic acid per 100 g of edible pulp, making it richer in this vitamin than t he acerola(Malpighia glabra L.). The Solanaceae offers the cubiu or co cona (Solanum sessiliflorum Dunal), domesticated in western Amazonia a nd similar in appearance to the naranjilla (S. quitoense Lam.). Its po tential yields are enormous and its pleasantly flavored fruits are use d for juices or preserves. The Rubiaceae contains the purui (Borojoa s orbilis (Huber) Cuatre.) and several relatives. Another sour fruit wit h a pleasant flavor, the purui appears to have been at least semi-dome sticated in western Amazonia also. These species offer the potential f or development as processed juices or other products, as they are all too sour for out of hand consumption. This paper describes each specie s, presents available composition and yield data, and suggests the res earch necessary to develop them as small fruit crops.