Guamuchil tree seeds

Guamuchil

The guamúchil (from the Nahuatl cuamóchitl, is a tree of the legume family. This tree has flowers of a light green or yellowish tone. Its edible fruit is a narrow and long pod, 15 to 20 cm long by 10 to 15 mm wide, it is curved or coiled in a spiral shape, its pulp can be white, pink or light red. Pyramidal or elongated crown, wide and extended (diameter 30 m), very leafy. Straight trunk, thin and ascending branches provided of thorns.

Guamuchil Flower

Its fruits are fleshy, usually consumed raw.

A mature, pointed tree can rise up to 15 m. Furthermore, a healthy plant produces flowers after two years. Flowering generally occurs during late winters or early springs, while fruits develop between spring and summer. Ripe legumes typically show a pink exterior. They may also display white, cream, or tan blooms.

This tree is native to Mexico, Central America and South America. According to the Dictionary of the Spanish Language, the word "guamúchil" can be used to refer to both the tree and its fruit, although the fruit is better known as "rosca" in the Évora Region, in the Mexican state of Sinaloa, where is the city of Guamúchil, whose eponymous plant has given the city its name. In other regions the term "guamaras" is used to refer to the fruit.

It is a medium-sized, fast-growing tree, native to the American tropics. It has been widely introduced to other areas for ornamental purposes, for reforestation, for the production of firewood, fodder and numerous other products. It can reach 25 meters in height, although it usually measures 5 to 22 m in height, with a short trunk of 30 to 75 cm in diameter; a wide, spreading crown, and a generally smooth, light gray bark.

The species is also known as a good food source for honey bees.

Sun exposure and salinity

A Guamichil tree requires full sun exposure. Can tolerate salinity.

Sharp surfaces

The tree's branches contain sharp thorns and skin-irritating surfaces.

Flower grouping

Fruit

Thin pods up to 20 cm long by 10 to 15 mm wide, coiled, tomentose, pendulous, reddish or pink, constricted between the seeds and dehiscent. They open on both sides to release numerous seeds.

Seed

Seeds 7 to 12 mm long, flattened ovoid, brown, surrounded by a sweet, whitish or pinkish aril. Thin and water-permeable testa.

Climate

In the natural distribution area of ​​the guamúchil, the climate is subtropical and tropical, from dry to semi-arid. The species is generally considered to be heat and drought resistant. characterized by average monthly temperatures that fluctuate between 7 and 8 °C in the month of January and up to 40 to 42 °C in May and June.

Distribution

In Mexico, guamúchil also grows naturally in the Yucatán Peninsula and in an area that includes parts of Tamaulipas, Colima, San Luis Potosí, Querétaro, Hidalgo, Puebla, Michoacán, Morelos, Guerrero, Durango and northern Veracruz, in addition to Sinaloa.

Applications

It is considered antiparasitic and astringent.

In addition to being used in the medicinal field, it is effective in preventing or curing diseases, such as diarrhea, stomach ailments, colic, sores, wounds, pimples, and strengthening teeth. It can also develop a large amount of gases that in turn clean the microvirus ducts in the body, thus avoiding possible diseases.