Fruits - Specimen details
| Catalogue Number: 35859 | |||||
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Plant Name | 187.00 PALMAE Mauritia flexuosa | Entry Book Number | 86.1849 | |
| Artefact Name | Fruits | Vernacular Name | |||
| Iso Country | Brazil | TDWG Region | Brazil | ||
| Parts Held | Fruits | Geography Description | Brazil, Para | ||
| Uses | FruitsUse: User: Not defined | TDWG use | |||
| Storage | Bottles, boxes etc | Related Items | |||
| Donor | Spruce, Richard | Donor No | 1 | ||
| Donor Date | 28/12/1849 | Donor Notes | |||
| Collector | Spruce, Richard | Collector No | |||
| Collection Notes | Collection Date | ||||
| Exhibition | Expedition | ||||
| Number Components | Publication | ||||
| Notes: | Label source: 84.1849187x0Dx0Ax0Dx0ASource: Spruce, R. (1855) Domestic Uses. Plantae Amazonicae. Domestic Uses. (pp31-61) and miscellaneous notes, p32.: I believe the larger Mauritia which grows inland nearly always in groups. The common tall-growing Mauritia, is undoubtedly M. flexuosa and if there be (as I suppose) at least two other species of the same habit, but occurring more rarely, they are certainly M. vinifera which is confined to campos of Central Brazil. At the headwaters of much of the canes whi, ch run into upper part of Rio Negro there is a swamp, of which predominate vegetation is Moriches ( Venezuelan for miriti) hence such swamps are called morichates- if the soil is pretty good M. flexuosa but if it is coatiugonic then M. carana takes its pl, ace and sometimes the two grow together. Sometimes they are accompanied by other Mauritia with slender stems - one of those called Cauaia by the Barrés.x0Dx0Ax0Dx0AAs I ascended Atabapo, I saw a few very large Mauritia fruits, twice as long as broad and even wh, en fresh obtusely tugemous. In San Carlos, in Oct 54, when I was laid up by Sabañon, an Indian, one day got me fruits of a Mauritia, elongated as in M. vinefera but much smaller which he assumed had been taken from a palm with a naked stem. Indians a, re fond of moríche fruits, eating them with farinha and find them sufficient to sustain life for a long time. To me they are insipid and I find the seeds troublesome to get rid of but I like the Jucuta.x0Dx0Ax0Dx0AIn 1854, whilst rivers were high, fruits of Maur, itia were very abundant, especially about Maypures. In 1853 it was scarcer and on contrary Patana and Bacaba were not abundant. At Maypures, when fruits of moríche is ripe and falls off it is pulled up, the pulp separated and gathered in a mass which is, then wrapped in Platamils and enveloped in a framework of Cerbalana palm made first into a cylinder and then the ends tied closely so as to bring it to form a spindle. In this way its kept for weeks, till it becomes very intensely acid. When used it is, mixed with water and passed through a sieve which retains all the fruit sales and a little sugar or molasses being added to obtain a pleasant and cooling drink which (like seje) is exceedingly diuretic and sometimes laxative. Bundles of this moríche are, sent to Fernando de Atabapo (capital of Cantón) where it is much esteemed. The Guahilos, Yarurus and other Indians who roam over the wide Savannahs between Vichada and Meta and use no canoes often assemble a raft from the stoat petioles of the Mauritiaw, hen they have to cross a river.x0Dx0A | ||||