The name jabuticaba derives from the Tupi word îaboti Lusitanizedjaboti/jabuti (tortoise) + kaba (place), meaning "the place where tortoises are found";[8] it has also been interpreted to mean 'like turtle fat', referring to the fruit's white pulp.[9][10][11] It could also derive from ïapotï'kaba meaning "fruits in a bud".[12]
The Guarani name is yvapurũ: yva means fruit and the onomatopoeic word purũ, from pururũ,[13] describes the crunching sound the fruit produces when bitten.[14]
Description
Jabuticaba treeLeaves of Plinia cauliflora
Plant
The tree is a slow-growing evergreen that can reach a height of 15 meters if not pruned. The leaves are salmon-pink when young, turning green as they mature.[15]
The tree prefers moist, rich, lightly acidic soil. It is widely adaptable, however, and grows satisfactorily even on alkaline beach-sand type soils, so long as it is tended and irrigated. Its flowers are white and grow directly from its trunk in a cauliflorous habit.[16] In its native habitat jaboticabeiras may flower and fruit 5-6 times throughout the year. Jabuticabeira are tropical to subtropical plants and can tolerate mild, brief frosts, not below 26 °F (-3 °C).[9]
The tree has a compact, fibrous root system, that makes it suitable for growing in pots or transplanting.[17]
Fruit
The fruit is a thick-skinned berry and typically measures 3–4 cm in diameter. The fruit resembles a slip-skin grape. It has a thick, purple, astringent skin that encases a sweet, white or rosy pink gelatinous flesh. Embedded within the flesh are one to four large seeds, which vary in shape depending on the species.[18] Jabuticaba seeds are recalcitrant and they become unviable within 10 days when stored at room temperature.[19]
Jabuticaba has been cultivated in Brazil since pre-Columbian times. Today it is commercial crop in the center and south of the country.[21]
Commercial cultivation of the fruit in the northern hemisphere is more restricted by slow growth and the short shelf-life of fruit than by temperature requirements.[22] Grafted plants may bear fruit in five years, while seed-grown trees may take 10 to 20 years to bear fruit.[19]
Jabuticabeiras are fairly adaptable to various kinds of growing conditions, tolerating sand or rich topsoil. They are intolerant of salty soils or salt spray.[23] They are tolerant of mild drought, though fruit production may be reduced, and irrigation will be required in extended or severe droughts.[20]
Common in Brazilian markets, jabuticabas are largely eaten fresh.[26] Fruit may begin to ferment 3 to 4 days after harvest, so it is often used to make jams, tarts, strong wines, and liqueurs. Due to the short shelf-life, fresh jabuticaba is rare in markets outside areas of cultivation.[21]
Their slow growth and small size when immature make jabuticabeiras popular as bonsai or container ornamental plants in temperate regions.[28] It is a widely used bonsai species in Taiwan and parts of the Caribbean.[29]
In Brazilian politics, and less commonly in everyday speech, "jabuticaba" is a slang that describes a political or legal setting that is considered absurd, unusual, or needlessly complex, among others, that could only exist in a country like Brazil. It is a reference to the popular wisdom that jabuticaba trees can only grow in Brazil.[32][33]
Related species
There are a number of similar species of plant in the family Myrtaceae that produce fruit that is known by the common name Jabuticaba.[20][26]
^Navarro, Eduardo de Almeida (2013). Dicionário de tupi antigo: a língua indígena clássica do Brasil. São Paulo. Global. p. 152.
^Ferreira, A. B. H. (1986). Novo Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa (second ed.). Rio de Janeiro: Nova Fronteira. p. 977.
^Goodwin Gómez, Gale; van der Voort, Hein, eds. (April 17, 2014). Reduplication in Indigenous Languages of South America. Brill's Studies in the Indigenous Languages of the Americas. Vol. 7. Brill. p. 22974. ISBN978-90-04-27241-5.
^ abHernández Bermejo, J. Esteban; León, J. (1994). Neglected crops: 1492 from a different perspective. Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. p. 229. ISBN9789251032176.
^"A jabuticaba e os vira-latas nacionais". Valor Econômico. 2012-10-22. "Existe só no Brasil e não é jabuticaba? Não presta". Poucos ditados concentram tão bem, em mensagem tão convincente, uma ideia tão equivocada. Translation: "Does it exist only in Brazil and is it not a jabuticaba? It is no good."
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