Myrciaria dubia

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Myrciaria dubia
Camu-camu.JPG
Scientific classification edit
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Rosids
Order: Myrtales
Family: Myrtaceae
Genus: Myrciaria
Species:
M. dubia
Binomial name
Myrciaria dubia
(Kunth) McVaugh
Synonyms[1]
  • Eugenia divaricata Benth.
  • Eugenia grandiglandulosa Kiaersk.
  • Marlierea macedoi D.Legrand [Invalid]
  • Myrciaria caurensis Steyerm.
  • Myrciaria divaricata (Benth.) O.Berg
  • Myrciaria lanceolata O.Berg
  • Myrciaria obscura O.Berg
  • Myrciaria paraensis O.Berg
  • Myrciaria phillyraeoides O.Berg
  • Myrciaria riedeliana O.Berg
  • Myrciaria spruceana O.Berg
  • Myrtus phillyraeoides (O.Berg) Willd. ex O.Berg
  • Psidium dubium Kunth
Dried camu camu seeds

Myrciaria dubia, commonly known as camu camu, camucamu, cacari, or camocamo, is a small bushy riverside tree from the Amazon rainforest in Peru and Brazil, which grows to a height of 3–5 m (9.8–16.4 ft) and bears a red/purple cherry-like fruit. It is a close relative of the jabuticaba (Myrciaria cauliflora) and the guavaberry or rumberry (Myrciaria floribunda). As much as 2-3% of the fresh fruit by weight is vitamin C.

Camu camu powder is a commercially available health food product, which can be mixed with water or other beverages. The taste is tart and somewhat bitter, somewhat reminiscent of grapefruit.

Acknowledgements

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Myrciaria dubia, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0.

References