Letterhout (Helicostylis tomentosa)

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

Native to Brazil, Colombia, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, and Suriname, Helicostylis tomentosa is an evergreen tree of up to 26 m in height with a straight and cylindrical trunk of up to 50 cm in diameter. The crown is narrow and elongated. The fruit is yellow and globose, with a delicious flavor. It is usually eaten raw. Medicinally, the bark is used as a remedy for stomach cramps and pain accompanying a high fever.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit

Harvest Seasons: Early Summer, Fall, Late Summer

Flavor & Culinary Uses

delicious flavour. — A delicious flavour.; The yellow, more or less globose fruit can be around 3cm in diameter.

Habitat & North American Range

A canopy tree in rainforests at elevations from sea level to 1,600 metres. (Zone 10)