Cansaboca facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Cansaboca |
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| Bunchosia armeniaca with immature fruit. | |
| Scientific classification | |
| Genus: |
Bunchosia
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| Species: |
armeniaca
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| Synonyms | |
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Bunchosia armeniaca is a type of plant in the Malpighiaceae family. It grows naturally in northwestern South America. You can find it in countries like Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Perú. People call this plant by many names, including cansaboca, ciruela de fraile, guaimaro, indano, and cold-earth mamey.
What is Cansaboca?
The Bunchosia armeniaca plant is often called cansaboca. It can grow quite tall, sometimes up to 20 meters (about 65 feet). However, it usually stays around 5 meters (about 16 feet) tall. This plant is very adaptable. It can be found in many different natural places, from low areas to high up in the mountains. It grows at elevations between 100 and 2,600 meters (about 330 to 8,500 feet) above sea level.
The Special Fruit
The Bunchosia armeniaca plant produces a unique fruit. This fruit is very sweet and has a soft, red inside. The pulp sticks tightly to the seeds. This is why it's called cansaboca, which means "tired mouth" in Spanish. It's like your mouth gets tired trying to eat the fruit because the pulp is so sticky!
Each fruit usually has two seeds inside. It's important to know that these seeds are not safe to eat.
The fruit spoils quickly once it's ripe on the tree. Because of this, people often pick the fruit when it's still a creamy-green color. Then, they let it finish ripening indoors until it turns red. This way, they can enjoy the sweet fruit before it goes bad.
