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Dipteryx alata
Also called Tonka Bean Tree
Dipteryx alata, the baru or tonka bean tree, is a large native savanna tree of central South America grown for its edible nut and as shade and timber. It is best grown in full sun in a warm, seasonally dry tropical climate.
Dipteryx alata is a large, undomesticated, edible nut-bearing tree from dryish tropical lowlands in central South America belonging to the legume family, Fabaceae, from the Dipterygeae tribe in the Faboideae subfamily. It is a wild species, widespread across the Cerrado savanna in South America. The baru nut seed is a grain legume, growing in popularity in North America as a snack food.
It is native to Bolivia, Brazil, Paraguay and Peru.
It is used as lumber, for charcoal production, and shade in pastures, by the indigenous peoples of its range. The fruits are often used as cattle feed. The seeds are a nutritious part of the local communities' diet.. Since 2024, Baru nut has gained recognition in the nuts industry as a daily snack.
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Dipteryx alata by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts and the care summary drawn from them are shared under the same licence.
The care summary was written by AI (Claude, Anthropic) from the sources on this page, with general growing knowledge where they are silent. Check before relying on it.
Life form, climate and native range: World Checklist of Vascular Plants, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew (CC BY 3.0), reformatted; see Plants of the World Online.
