Jatobá-do-cerrado

Hymenaea stigonocarpa

A hard brown pod full of sweet, dry, powdery pulp, eaten as it is or sifted into flour for cakes. Bats pollinate the night flowers.

Type: canopy tree · native and wild plants
Hardiness: zones 10 to 12
Light: full sun
Size: about 30 ft tall, 25 ft wide
Harvest: February to April
From: Brazilian cerrado
Drought-hardy once established
Here: Too tender to overwinter outdoors on the Lake Erie shore (zone 6b to 7a): grow it in a pot and bring it in, or treat it as an annual.

Good for: food, pollinators, wildlife.

Native to: Tropical South America. Hardy in zones 10 to 12.

The story

Jatobá is among the cerrado's oldest foods: its dry, sweet pulp was ground into flour long before wheat arrived, and the hard wood and resin have many traditional uses.

Planting

Full sun in deep, well-drained soil. Plant at the start of the rains and give it space; it grows into a broad tree.

Growing

Very drought-hardy once rooted. Slow to start; water through the first dry seasons.

Harvest and use

Crack the hard pods in the dry season. Eat the powdery pulp as it is or sift it into flour for cakes, breads and porridge.

What to watch for

The pods are very hard; crack them with a tool. The pulp has a strong smell some people need to get used to.

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General guidance, not professional advice. Conditions vary by yard and year; for local specifics ask your county extension office. Never eat a wild plant you cannot identify with certainty. Traditional uses are shared as history, not medical advice. © 2026 Sean Priest · Irie Orchard. Terms & credits · Privacy · Home