Cannonball Tree
Couroupita guianensis
The flowers have no nectar, instead offering specialized sterile pollen to lure and reward carpenter bees for pollination.
- Scientific name
- Couroupita guianensis
- Taxonomy
- Plantae › Tracheophyta › Magnoliopsida › Ericales › Lecythidaceae › Couroupita
- IUCN Red List status
- Least Concern
- Population trend
- stable
- Biome
- forest
- Habitat
- Lowland tropical rainforests, river valleys, and wet deciduous forests.
- Diet
- Autotrophic (photosynthesis, drawing water and minerals from the soil).
- Range
- Amazon Basin, Central America, Caribbean, Southeast Asia (introduced)
- Size
- Grows up to 35 meters (115 feet) tall, with fruits up to 25 centimeters in diameter.
- Lifespan
- 80 to 150 years
- Active
- diurnal
- Threats
- Deforestation, habitat fragmentation, and local over-exploitation for timber and traditional medicine.
- Safe to approach?
- Physically hazardous. Do not stand, sit, or park vehicles directly beneath the canopy, as the heavy, 5-pound woody fruits can fall without warning and cause severe head trauma. If hit by falling debris, seek medical evaluation immediately.
Couroupita guianensis , known by a variety of common names including cannonball tree, is a deciduous tree in the family Lecythidaceae, which also includes the Brazil nut ( Bertholletia excelsa ) and Paradise nut Lecythis zabucajo . It is native to the rainforests of Central and South America, and it is cultivated in many other tropical areas throughout the world because of its beautiful, fragrant flowers and large, interesting fruits. There are medicinal uses for many parts of Couroupita guianensis ,...
Photo: Ericson Cernawsky Igual, CC-BY-SA, via iNaturalist
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