Chrysobalanaceae
Moquilea

Moquilea magnifructa Sothers & Prance

First published in Kew Bull. 74(4)-54: 1 (2019)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Panama to Peru. It is a tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as a medicine and for food.

Descriptions

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Pacific. Elevation range: 0–280 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Chocó, Valle del Cauca.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): LC.
Habit
Tree.
Vernacular
Apacharama
[UPFC]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular
apacharama, caimito, carbonera, carbonero, carbonero hojicenizo, parinari
[UNAL]

Sothers, C.A. & Prance, G.T. (2019). A new name in Moquilea (Chrysobalanaceae). Kew Bulletin 74: 54. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12225-019-9835-0

Distribution
Panama, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. Lowland forests to c. 600 m and in premontane rainforest in Panama.
Conservation
Moquilea magnifructa is assessed as LC (Least Concern) according to the IUCN (2012) categories and criteria. The species is distributed over an extensive area spanning four countries, in lowland and premontane forests (Prance & Sothers 2003); therefore, currently it is not considered at risk.
Note
This new name reflects the striking character of the large fruit, which we chose to maintain in line with the previous name given to the species by José Cuatrecasas. Moquilea magnifructa and M. pyrifolia both have large fruits but their range of distribution differs; M. magnifructa occurs from Panama to western northern South America (Colombia, Ecuador and Peru) and M. pyrifolia from the Caribbean, Venezuela and eastern Colombia. Moquilea magnifructa has much larger leaves that are ferrugineous on the abaxial side and thick petioles, distinguishing it from M. pyrifolia, with smaller glabrescent leaves and slender elongate petioles (Prance & Sothers 2003).
[KBu]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 0 - 280 m.; Amazonia, Pacífico.
Morphology General Habit
Árbol
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Uses

Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • 'The Herbarium Catalogue, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Published on the Internet http://www.kew.org/herbcat [accessed on Day Month Year]'. Please enter the date on which you consulted the system.
    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Bulletin

    • Kew Bulletin
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2025. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Universidad Nacional de Colombia

    • ColPlantA database
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0