BROSIMUM ALICASTRUM: CHARACTERISTICS, HABITAT, USES, CULTIVATION, CARE - BIOLOGY - 2025

Brosimum alicastrum or capomo is a perennial arboreal species that belongs to the Moraceae family. Known as capomo, Mayan walnut, Ojoche or Ramón, it is a native plant of the Mesoamerican tropics.

It is a tall tree that reaches 15-35 m in height. It has an erect stem, rough bark, ascending branches, simple leaves and a pyramidal crown. It is a monoecious species whose head-shaped flowers produce a globular drupe of bright yellow color when ripe.

Brosimum alicastrum. Source: Congobongo1041

Its natural habitat is located in warm, semi-warm, tropical and temperate environments, in an altitude range of 20 to 1,600 meters above sea level. In the wild, it is found in different ecosystems, from medium-sized sub-deciduous or sub-evergreen forests to tall evergreen or sub-evergreen forests.

It is a very appreciated tree due to its forage quality and availability during times of drought, being used as a nutritional supplement for livestock. Similarly, it is used for medicinal purposes for its properties to treat asthma and bronchitis. In addition, the wood is used in carpentry and minor constructions.

General characteristics

Stem and bark of Brosimum alicastrum. Source: Photo by David J. Stang

Appearance

A tall evergreen or sub-evergreen tree that reaches up to 45 m in height and has a diameter at chest height of 1-1.5 m. Its stem is erect and cylindrical with wide buttresses, ribbed and rough bark of grayish color that exudes a milky, sweet and sticky sap. The crown is dense and pyramidal.

Leaves

Simple leaves of elliptical, ovate or lanceolate shape, arranged alternately, 5-16 cm long by 3-7 cm wide. Leaflets bright green on the upper surface and greyish-green on the underside, entire margins and strongly acuminate acute apex.

flowers

Solitary unisexual flowers in axillary arrangement. The female ones, of greenish tones, are grouped in oval heads with small scales. The male ones are yellow in color and are grouped in globose catkins made up of peltate scales lacking a corolla.

Fruit

The fruit is a globose drupe 2-3 cm in diameter whose edible yellow-orange pericarp has a sweet and pleasant flavor. Inside there are 1-3 spherical seeds of 1-2 cm in diameter, brown-colored papyraceous testa and succulent green cotyledons.

Chemical composition

The phytochemical analysis of leaves, fruits and seeds has made it possible to determine the great nutritional potential of this species, whether for human or animal consumption. In fact, the composition of the analyzed material depends on the environmental conditions, the age of the plant and the maturity of the fruit.

For its part, the seeds contain traces of alkaloids, volatile oils, waxes, resins, as well as mucilaginous, peptic and albuminoid principles, traces of sucrose and glucose, dextrin, starch, metharabic acid, cellulose and salts.

Leaves

- Protein: 14.9%

- Ash: 13.5%

- Fiber: 28%

- Lignin: 7.1%

- Ethereal extract (fats): 3.9%

- Phenols: 1.0%

- Tannins: 9.1%

Fruit pulp

- Water: 84%

- Protein: 2.5%

- Ethereal extract (fats): 0.5%

- Fiber: 1.2%

- Nitrogen-free extract (starches and sugars): 10.9%

Seeds

- Water (fresh seeds): 52.2%

- Water (dry seeds): 4.5-12.5%

- Protein: 12.5%

- Ashes: 15.5%

- Carbohydrates: 40-75%

- Fiber: 2.5-8.5%

- Calories: 3.59-4.16 kcal / g

- Lysine: 2.5-4%

- Tryptophan: 1.2-2.3%

Green fruits Brosimum alicastrum. Source: Janhendrix

Taxonomy

- Kingdom: Plantae

- Division: Magnoliophyta

- Class: Magnoliopsida

- Order: Rosales

- Family: Moraceae

- Tribe: Dorstenieae

- Genus: Brosimum

- Species: Brosimum alicastrum Swartz. 1788

Subspecies

- Brosimum alicastrum Sw. Subsp. alicastrum

- Brosimum alicastrum Sw. Subsp. Bolivarense (Pittier) CC Berg 1970

Synonymy

- Alicastrum guianense (Aubl.) Kuntze

- Brosimum aubletii Poepp. & Endl.

- Brosimum discolor Schott

- B. lecointei Ducke

- B. lemeei (Benoist) Lemee

- Brosimum palmarum Standl.

- Brosimum panamense (Pittier) Standl. & Steyerm.

- B. rotundatum Standl.

- B. tessmannii Mildbr.

- Brosimum velutinum (SF Blake) Ducke

- Piratinera discolor (Schott) Pittier

- Piratinera guianensis Aubl.

- P. lemeei Benoist

- P. mollis Killip

- Piratinera panamensis Pittier

- Piratinera scabridula SF Blake

- P. velutina SF Blake

Brosimum alicastrum leaves. Source: Photo by David J. Stang

Habitat and distribution

They develop on fertile soils of limestone origin, on flat terrain, with slight steep slopes, covered places or very steep slopes. It adapts to areas with short periods of insolation, it blooms at 21-35 ºC, being annual or biannual and loses its foliage in very arid environments.

It generally adapts to clay soils, deep and easy to flood in the rainy season, as well as to shallow, sandy and highly stony soils. It is a crop adapted to grow and regenerate in closed forest environments, since its seedlings are extremely tolerant of shading.

It is located in rainy or humid evergreen forests, premontane sub-deciduous forests, riverbanks in semi-arid ecosystems and seasonal climate forests where it forms dense stands. In Central America it is associated with black laurel (Cordia megalantha), varillo (Symphonia globulifera), zapotillo (Calocarpum sp.) And San Juan de Pozo (Vochysia guatemalensis).

Native to tropical America, it is distributed from southern Mexico throughout Central America and the Caribbean, including Cuba, Jamaica and Trinidad. Similarly, to the north of South America in Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, Roraima in Brazil, Guyana and Suriname.

In Mexico it is located in the Yucatan peninsula, south of Tamaulipas and on the Pacific slope from Sinaloa and Nayarit to Chiapas. In general, it is located in tropical climates with an average temperature of 18-27 ºC and rainfall of 600-4,000 mm per year.

Ripe fruits Brosimum alicastrum. Source: Janhendrix

Uses and properties

Forage

The capomo is a very versatile tree and its trunk, branches, leaves, fruits and seeds have different applications. The leaves and fruits have high palatability, being frequently used as a food supplement for cattle, horses, pigs, goats and sheep.

In certain regions of Mesoamerica, it constitutes the only fresh forage available when environmental conditions are adverse for other forage species. Its leaves have a digestibility greater than 65%, protein 15%, ash 13%, fiber 25%, fat 4% and high content of lignin, phenols and tannins.

During the dry season, the branches are used as fodder and the fruits that fall to the ground are highly desired, especially by pigs. Seeds with a high content of vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates and niazines, can substitute up to 30% of forage grains such as sorghum.

The protein present in the leaves and fruits of the capomo has a first-rate nutritional quality. The high content of the amino acids arginine, lysine, tryptophan and valine allows to increase milk production by 15 to 20%.

Nutritional

The fruits or drupes have been a food for human consumption since pre-Columbian times. They have a pleasant and sweet flavor, being used to prepare jams or jellies. Similarly, seeds with high protein and fat content have been part of the daily diet of the Mayan peoples since ancient times.

The highly nutritious seeds are eaten cooked or roasted, eaten whole or ground into a multi-purpose flour. For example, it can be mixed with corn to make tortillas, cakes or bread, as well as to prepare a drink similar to coffee.

On the other hand, fresh seeds are boiled in water and are consumed as a substitute for potatoes, due to their high carbohydrate content. In addition, due to their organoleptic characteristics, they can be stored for a long time to be used in times of scarcity.

A milky liquid or sap is extracted from the bark of the tree that is used as a substitute for milk, due to its high solubility and pleasant taste. At an industrial level, this sap is used as a raw material for the manufacture of chewing gum.

Medicinal

Among medicinal uses, infusions or tonics of branches and leaves have the ability to calm the symptoms of asthma and infections of the respiratory system. The sap of the bark and the extracts of the fruits are used to stimulate the production of milk in women of lactating children.

Lumberjack

Wood, despite its low workability, has a great diversity of local uses in both carpentry and construction. Indeed, it is used to manufacture simple furniture, plywood, boards, forms, saddles, shoe lasts and agricultural tools. The wood is used as firewood or charcoal.

Conservation

Capomo is a forest species used for the restoration of intervened environments, since it protects the soil, conserves water courses and protects biodiversity. Its physiological characteristics allow it to develop under low-light secondary forests, but when a clearing opens in the canopy it accelerates its development.

Under the shade of other species, it forms a dense canopy with trees such as the palo mulato (Bursera simarubao) or the chicle (Manilkara zapota), as well as various bushes. Due to its rapid growth, dense wood and extensive crown, it is widely used in reforestation programs.

Capomo drupes. Source: Congobongo1041

Reproduction

Reproduction by cuttings

Reproduction by means of stakes allows obtaining fruit-bearing trees in less than five years. Stakes 1-2 m high and 5-15 cm in diameter are used directly in the field, planted at a distance of 3-5 m between plants.

Reproduction by seeds

Capomo is usually propagated by fresh seeds obtained directly from the plant or collected from the falls around the plant. To extract the seeds from the fruit, it is necessary to soak the fruits with enough water, usually 900 to 1200 seeds per kg are obtained.

The fresh seeds present a high percentage of germination; almost 90% that begins 8-10 days after sowing. However, the percentage of germination and viability is drastically reduced within a few weeks.

The sowing can be established directly in polyethylene bags or on germinators and then pealing when the seedlings have reached 5-10 cm in height. Growth during the initial phase of nursery development is relatively rapid and the seedlings reach 25-35 cm tall in 4-5 months.

Under nursery conditions, half shade is required during the initial growth phase. It is common to collect naturally regenerating seedlings under trees, which can be peeled and planted in the nursery.

Sowing

This slow-growing species can be planted in the field by means of cuttings or seedlings grown in a nursery. In the case of establishing a crop by cutting adult trees, the new tree follows the same growth pattern.

Young trees with a diameter greater than 32 cm are considered adult plants, usually increasing in diameter by 1.3 cm per year. It is advisable to use stakes of young plants, in order to obtain productive trees in the shortest possible time.

Culture

The establishment of the seedbeds requires a planting distance of 10 x 10 cm. The first transplant is carried out into polyethylene bags 10 cm wide by 20 cm long with a fertile and humid substrate.

Seedlings 50 cm high are required for the definitive transplant and a sowing distance of not less than 3 x 3 m is used. We recommend watering every 3 days, frequent weed control and start maintenance pruning when it reaches 3 m in height.

Buttress of the trunk of Brosimum alicastrum. Source: Photo by David J. Stang

Care

Although it is adapted to steep limestone rock sites with short periods of insolation, low fertility plains and sloping terrain. They develop with greater vigor on fertile soils, in climates with an average annual temperature of 18-27 ºC and rainfall of 600-4,000 mm per year. This species reaches maturity at four years.

Plagues and diseases

Pests

The capomo is attacked by insects that feed mainly on its wood, such as Xyleborus ferrugineus and Xyleborus morigerus, or the hemiptere Trioza rusellae that produces galls on the leaves.

Diseases

In relation to diseases caused by pathogenic fungi, Alternaria alternata, Cercospora sp., Colletotrichum sp., Chalara sp., Fusarium, Gilmaniella sp. Have been identified. and Tubercularia sp. Generally, diseases caused by pathogenic fungi are common in Neotropical forest ecosystems.

Fungal diseases attack the plant in its different stages of the life cycle, the leaves and fruits being the most affected organs. The main symptoms are manifested as chlorosis, deformations or necrosis, which reduce the growth, photosynthetic capacity, reproduction and survival of the plant.

References

1. Alvarado, D., Sosof, J. & Sánchez, M. (2006) Search, collection, characterization and preservation of Ramón (Brosimum alicastrum) materials in the South-Western region of Guatemala. (Thesis). University Program for Research in Natural Resources and Environment (PUIRNA). University of San Carlos of Guatemala.
2. Ayala, A., & Sandoval, SM (1995). Establishment and early production of ramón (Brosimum alicastrum Swartz) forage in plantations at high densities in the North of Yucatán, Mexico. Agroforestry in the Americas (CATIE) v. 2 (7) p. 10-16.
3. Brosimum alicastrum Sw. (2019) GBIF Secretariat. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy. Checklist dataset. Recovered at: gbif.org
4. Burgos, AA, Góngora, RC, Leal, CC, Campos, CZ, & Castro, CS (2006) Chemical-nutritional composition of forage trees. CONACYT - SAGARPA - COFUPRO. ISBN: 970-94223-2-4.
5. Meiners, M., Sánchez Garduño and S. De Blois. (2009) El Ramón: Fruit of our culture and root for Conservation. CONABIO. Biodiversitas, 87: 7-10.
6. Rojas-Schroeder, J. Á., Sarmiento-Franco, L., Sandoval-Castro, CA, & Santos-Ricalde, RH (2017). Use of ramón (Brosimum alicastrum Swarth) foliage in animal feed. Tropical and Subtropical Agroecosystems, 20 (3), 363-371.
7. Román, F., De Liones, R., Sautu, A., Deago, J., & Hall, JS (2012). Guide for the propagation of 120 species of native trees of Panama and the Neotropics. Environmental Leadership and Training Initiative - ELTI. Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies. ISBN 978-9962-05-347-7.
8. Sáyago Ayerdí, S. & Álvarez-Parrilla, E. (2018). Underutilized Ibero-American Native Plant Foods. Institute of Biomedical Sciences. ISBN: 978-1-938038-10-5.