16- Murici - Byrsonima intermedia A.Juss. (Malpighiaceae)

 

Branched shrub, up to 1.5 m tall, woody, with opposite lanceolate leaves, without hairiness. As an adult, the trunk shows black fissures. Showy, yellow inflorescences, in bunches of up to 15 cm, carrying 15 to 30 flowers. Flowering from October to November, when the fruits appear, oval, drupe type, yellow in color and surrounded by fleshy and sweet pulp.

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Recently, a field full of muricis was occupied by homeless families, who built shacks over the vegetation. I went to talk to them, who explained their difficulties with housing, and assured me that the area had been unproductive for over 20 years, with nothing but bushes! It was a rainy day, everything was mud, there were small children and a very tense atmosphere in the air. Difficult to think of plants at that moment. Then the authorities relocated them, and a tractor left a war scene destroying hundreds of shacks. With the rain that followed the muricis sprouted among the debris that were left on the site.

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Distribution: Cerrados from the northeast to the southeast, especially in São Paulo and Minas Gerais.

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Situation in São Paulo: Rare.

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How to plant: Sand the seed husks slightly to break dormancy and place three per sack on a sandy substrate with organic matter. I found a specimen “run over” by the tractor and collected pieces of the root. After planting, I watered every day using a rooting solution until new shoots came out. As a curiosity, flowers secrete oils that are very attractive to insects, and ants are also responsible for their pollination.

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Uses: Fruits with unique flavor, widely used in liqueurs, ice cream, juices and jellies. The leaves and barks are used in home medicine as healing and to treat diarrhea.

 

 

MAGALHÃES, ALLAN FREITAS ET AL. ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS OF BYRSONIMA INTERMEDIA IN RIPARY MICROAMBIENTS. PESQUISA FLORESTAL BRASILEIRA, V. 33, N. 76, P. 469-473, 2013.

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MOREIRA, LQ ET AL. CHEMICAL AND BIOLOGICAL EVALUATION OF THE BYRSONINA INTERMEDIA SPECIES A. JUSS. ALFENAS, 2010.

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SILVA, DIOGO PEDROSA CORRÊA DA. SOMATIC EMBRYOGENESIS AND POTENTIAL USE OF EMBRIOGENIC MOLECULAR MARKERS IN BYRSONIMA INTERMEDIA A. JUSS. (MURICI-SMALL). 2013.

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RISSI, HC PROPOSALS FOR MANAGEMENT AND RESTORATION OF THE CERRADO ECOLOGICAL RESERVE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF SÃO PAULO, CAMPUS CAPITAL; SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH; (GRADUATE IN ECOLOGY) - INSTITUTE OF BIOCIENCES, USP; 2013