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Lecythis ampla is a species of woody plant in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut (Bertholletia excelsa). Common names include coco, olla de mono, jicaro and salero.
It is found in Central and South America. It has been considered an endangered species in Costa Rica (IUCN, 1988).
Lecythis ampla is endemic to Central America, extending from Nicaragua to Ecuador and Brazil. It is common in wet forests on the Atlantic slope in Nicaragua, Costa Rica, and Panama, and is found near the Pacific coast in Ecuador and in Colombia's Cauca and Magdalena valleys.
The sapwood is a creamy colour and fibrous, while the heartwood is dark brown when fresh and reddish brown when dried. The timber is resistant to marine boring invertebrates and is used for shipbuilding, bridges, and general and marine construction. It is also used to make furniture, tool handles, and posts. The bark can be used in tanning and has various other uses. The seeds can be eaten, but excessive consumption causes loss of hair. They are also used in northern Costa Rica to make sweets and caramel and in Panama as folk medicine to treat pneumonia and diarrhoea.
Chytroma · Lecythis barnebyi · Lecythis brancoensis · Lecythis lanceolata · Lecythis lurida · Lecythis · Lecythis · Lecythis parvifructa · Lecythis poiteaui · Lecythis prancei · Lecythis retusa · Lecythis schomburgkii
Text excerpted from the Wikipedia article Lecythis ampla by its contributors, under CC BY-SA 4.0; the excerpts are shared under the same licence.
