Barca (Couma macrocarpa)

Family: Apocynaceae | Edibility: Choice Edible (4/5)

Other common names are Milk Tree, Couba, Sorva, Sorva Grande, Leche Caspi, Leche Huayo, Aso, Fransoco, and Wansoka. Native to Central and South America, Barca or Couma macrocarpa is a large tropical tree up to 40 m tall with oval leaves in groups of three. The flowers are small. The bark is thick and dark-coloured. The stem yields edible and sweet latex which can also be used in the treatment of amoebiasis and in making chewing gum.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Leaves, Sap/Syrup

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer, Spring, Winter

Flavor & Culinary Uses

rich creamy latex that is sweet and palatable. — When the bark is cut or broken, there issues from it a rich creamy latex that is sweet and palatable.; It is not very sticky and may be drunk like cow's milk.; A latex obtained from the trunk can be used to make chewing gum.; The succulent pulp is sweet and extremely glutinous.

Habitat & North American Range

Low wet mixed forest, or often seen in cleared pastures, at or a little above sea level. A climax tree of the rainforest, found mainly on well-drained sites in upland areas of the Amazon. (Zone 10)