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Genipa americana is a species of Genipa, this is a small tree growing to 15 m tall. The leaves are opposite, oblong, 20–35 cm long and 10–19 cm broad, glossy dark green, with an entire margin. The flowers are white, yellow or red, with a five-lobed corolla 5–6 cm diameter. The fruit is a thick-skinned edible berry 5–8 cm diameter.
The juice of the immature fruit is clear, but induces a chemical reaction on the human skin resulting in a tattoo-like dark blue. Mostly used by rainforest natives as a body-painting color. The ripened fruit of Huito is often eaten raw or made into jam. The fruit is brewed into a tea and taken as a remedy for bronchitis. Huito prefers alluvial soils, and grows very quickly (producing in 3 years), even in heavily flooded fields.
This tree can be planted but more often than not it is dispersed by animals or water. It also serves as a very good climbing tree to reach other trees. In Puerto Rico, the fruit is placed in a glass container, refrigerated and used as a tonic. Folklore states that it contains natural glass. |