West Indian Locust (Hymenaea courbaril)

Family: Fabaceae | Edibility: Edible (3/5)

Hymenaea courbaril or commonly known as West Indian Locust, Brazilian copal, umami-gum, Brazilian Cherry, or South American Cherry is a legume in the Fabaceae family. It is an evergreen tree with massive spreading branches and a heavy, umbrella-shaped crown. It is slow growing but reaches up to 30 m in height. The bole is straight and cylindrical and can be up to 120 cm in diameter. The fruits are eaten raw or cooked.

Edible Parts & Harvest Seasons

Edible Parts: Fruit, Bark/Inner Bark

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

Flavor & Culinary Uses

sweet flavour and is commonly eaten raw; — Fruit - raw or cooked.; The dry, whitish-yellow pulp around the seed has a sweet flavour and is commonly eaten raw; used in making custards and ice cream; and fermented into an alcoholic beverage.; It is eaten like sweets by children in Jamaica.; The protein content is high for a fruit.

Habitat & North American Range

Found in a wide range of habitats including tropical dry forest, transition to premontane moist forest, and tropical wet forest as well as subtropical moist forest. (Zone 10)