Caryocar

plant genus

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 16, 2026

Quick Summary

Caryocar is a genus of South American trees belonging to the family Caryocaraceae. These trees are known for their strong, fine-grained wood, which is useful for furniture and shipbuilding. The genus contains about six species.12

The fruits of some Caryocar species are used as fish poisons, while others produce edible seeds known as souari nuts. These nuts are collected from wild trees, such as C. nuciferum, and also cultivated, as in the case of C. amygdaliferum. The family Caryocaraceae is characterized by evergreen trees or shrubs with distinctive large flowers and spirally twisted seedling roots.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

3 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

Malpighiales
Ungrouped families
…genera, Anthodiscus (15 species) and Caryocar (6 species), which are found in the Neotropics, especially in Amazonia. Some fruits of Caryocar are used as fish poisons. In South America they are the source of edible souari nuts, which are both collected in the wild (C. nuciferum) and cultivated (C. amygdaliferum).
Read More
…genera, Anthodiscus (15 species) and Caryocar (6 species), which are found in the Neotropics, especially in Amazonia. Some fruits of Caryocar are used as fish poisons. In South America they are the source of edible souari nuts, which are both collected in the wild (C. nuciferum) and cultivated (C. amygdaliferum).
Read More