CALABURA: GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A TROPICAL FRUIT.
Popularly known in the Northeast region as a silk stick or calabura (Muntingia calabura L.), it is a fruit species of the family Tiliaceae, native to tropical America (from Mexico to Colombia) and is widely distributed in Brazil. Obs: You can know more in this link >> Calabura
The plant has a height of around 14 m and a stem of approximately 20 cm in diameter, its crown is flat and spread with long branches. When young, the stem and branches have a dark color with white lines. The flowers are white with 2 cm in diameter, having 5 sepals and 5 petals, arranged in summits, with free number of stamens.
The fruit is small, of the rounded, plurilocular berry type, red in color and with several seeds per fruit, and its harvest is usually carried out in the spring and early summer. The fruits are edible, sweet and rich in vitamin C, iron, calcium, in addition to being used for feeding bird-fauna, especially fish (MARTINS et al., 2002).
The average weight of the fruits is 1.42 g, with a composition of approximately: 4.69% ash, 13.88% crude fiber, 7.81% crude protein and 5.7% crude fat, in addition to 95 , 3% of total organic matter and 67.89% of free nitrogen extract (Rahman et al., 2010). Recent discoveries suggest high antioxidant capacity, inhibition of lipid peroxidation activity, in addition to being a potent skin lightening agent, probably due to the presence of phenolic compounds, making it an appropriate candidate to correct hyperpigmentation disorders (Balakrishnan et al., 2011), in addition to cardioprotective activity (Nivethetha et al., 2009).
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Plant extracts are used in northeastern folk medicine because they have anti-bacterial properties (RAMOS et al., 2009), showing activity in leaf extracts to control Corynebacterium diphtheria, Proteus vulgaris, Staphylococcus epidermidis and Aeromonas hydrophila (ZAKARIA et al., 2006) and Staphylococcus aureus (ZAKARIA et al., 2010), which cause diseases such as diphtheria, cystitis, urinary infections and gastroenteritis, among others. Usually, the spacing of 6 x 8 m is adopted for cultivation, and its growth is rapid.
From the plant a light, firm, clear wood is extracted, easy to be worked, which does not warp and acquires a polished finish, making it suitable for the manufacture of vats (MARTINS et al., 2002).
The plant can be used as an ornamental, in addition to the process of restoring degraded areas that require shade (MARTINS et al., 2002), being characterized by a pioneer species, normally multiplied by seeds. Bats and parakeets are the main dispersers of M. calabura seeds and the greatest attention of these species occurs during the peak fruiting period, with the germination of the seed embryo, accumulated in the forest soil, relatively high in areas with high seed activity.
frugivorous animals (Fleming et al., 1985). Figueiredo et al. (2008) revealed that the plant is self-compatible and has spontaneous self-pollination, with flowers visited by bees and fruits consumed by bats and birds, in general. Bredt et al. (2002) revealed that the calabura is visited by phytophagous bats, mainly of the species Artibeus lituratus, Glossophaga soricina and Platyrrhinus lineatus, in central Brazil. The germination of the seed embryo is fast and high, being a highly reproducible plant under cultivation, with the possibility of being an option for inclusion in urban reforestation.
However, the reproductive characteristics place the species as a potential and important invasive plant in the southeastern region of Brazil (Figueiredo et al., 2008). Lopes et al. (2002) showed that, practically all the seeds of calabura germinated with alternating temperature of 20–30ºC in sand and paper, used as substrate.
Also, pre-treatments of seeds soaked with lime solution (CaO) at 0.025 g / mL, for five minutes, in addition to 0.2% potassium nitrate (KNO3), improved the germinative capacity of seeds with mucilage. There is a need for light to germinate the seeds of the plant, being favored for long days, corroborating because it is a pioneer species.
