Article
Article
Brazil nut
Article By:
MacDaniels, Laurence H. Horticultural Section, School of Integrative Plant Science, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York.
Last reviewed:December 2019
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.094000
A large broad-leafed evergreen tree, Bertholletia excelsa, which grows wild in the forests of the Amazon valley of South America. The fruit of the Brazil nut tree is a spherical capsule, approximately 3–6 in. (7.5–15 cm) in diameter and 2–4 lb (0.9–1.8 kg) in weight. When the fruit is mature, it consists of an outer hard indehiscent husk, about 0.5 in. (1.2 cm) in thickness, enclosing an inner hard-shelled container or pod filled with approximately 20 rather triangular seeds or nuts (see illustration). See also: Lecythidales; Nut crop culture; Seed
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
