Gustavia Augusta

Medium-sized tree with a globose crown of dense foliage, in full sun it grows 2.5 to 4 m in height, but in the Amazon forest it grows 5 to 10 m in height, forming a pyramidal crown. The trunk is cylindrical and forked, of small dimensions, with a thin bark (with small scales) and has a grayish brown color. Young branches are greenish with whitish dots (which are gas exchange glands). This is produces a beautiful pink flower as shown in the photos. The fruit is not edible out of hand but the seeds after roasting are edible and the husk after drying and cleaning can be used in craft work. Also when ripe, the arils can be removed and used in cooking in place of fat or oil.