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Brazil Nut Flower Wikimedia Commons
Lecythidaceae

Brazil Nut Flower

Bertholletia excelsa

Interconnection of life.

Family
Lecythidaceae
Genus
Bertholletia
Native to
South America, Amazon Basin
Bloom season
Spring
Type
evergreen tree
Height
100-160 ft
Sunlight
full sun
Soil
deep, well-drained, tropical
Water
high
Hardiness
11-12
Lifespan
perennial

Did you know

  • Brazil nut flowers can only be pollinated by large-bodied bees strong enough to pry open the tightly coiled flower hood.
  • The trees depend on a specific orchid that provides the fragrance needed to attract the pollinating euglossine bees.
  • A single brazil nut tree can live for over 1,000 years and produce nuts for most of that time.
  • The heavy fruit pods weigh up to 5 pounds and fall from heights of 160 feet, posing a real danger in the forest.
  • Brazil nut trees cannot be commercially farmed; virtually all nuts sold worldwide come from wild Amazonian trees.

Color meanings

0

abundance

1

ecological harmony

Uses

  • nut production
  • rainforest conservation
  • timber