Chrysophyllum viride


Flowers	Ripening Fruits

NOMENCLATURE: Aguaí-valvú comes from the dem Tupi-Guarani and means “dry fruit” because of the firm peel and the adjective Valvú – “yellow fruit pulp”. Also called Abiu-mirim, Aguaí branco, Guacazinho and Mata olho.

Features: One 6 to 7 m tall tree in the culture, it can also reach heights of to 15 m in the forest, with rounded and dense crown of diameter from 4 to 8 m. The trunk has dark brown or gray bark, finely cracked near branches. The leaves are simple, more round and glossy dark green, they measure 6 to 14 cm in length and 1.5 to 5.5 cm in width, petiole 1.5 to 2 cm long. The flowers are in clusters (small bundles) in the leaf axils or at leafless, shorter young branches in the tufts pointed out numerous individual flowers to find with fine lace and tiny ceam and green petals. The fruits are rounded and measure 1.5 to 2.7 cm in diameter.

Infos of cultivation: Tree of moderate growth, which also takes deep temperature of to -4°C and can be grown in every altitude. Prefers deep, humid, acid or neutral soil with a sandy or loamy (red, gray or black soil) structure. The tree tolerates drought and holds up to 6 months of no rain. It begins to bear fruit 5 to 6 years after planting.

Propagation: The seeds are flat, brownish, slightly bigger than an bean, and retain their ability to germinate up to 6 months. They should be planted in a substrate rich in organic matter, the germination usually takes 30 to 60 days. Seedlings are large up to 30 cm by 8 to 9 months after germination, and they can develop both in the sun or shade.

Planting: Can be planted in full sun and in the reforestation of forests for permament preservation. Space 7 x 7 m in very fertile soils or 5 x 5 m in poorer soils. The hole should be 40 cm in all three dimensions, and with the incorporation of 25% sand and 1 kg of ash and 8 kg of organic matter to be producted in the ground. Water every two weeks during first 3 months, only when lack of water occurs in the flower time there.

Culturvation: Pruning to form a crown and removing the shoots that form at the base of the trunk and the branches that grow inward into the crown. Fertilize with organic compost, can be well mixed with 4 kg chicken manure + 50 g N-P-K 10-10-10, double the amount in each year to 3rd year. Distribute the nutrients every September in the southern hemisphere or in March in the northern hemisphere and give sufficient water if there is not rain after pollination.

Use: They bear fruit in the months of July and August. The fruits are yellow, soft pulp to be enjoyed in good taste and may be taken in-kind or in the form of juices. I recommend to plant the tree, because it attracts a large number of bird species that are not starving at the end of winter..