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Gevuina avellana
Gevuina avellana , Evergreen tree of the family Proteaceae, up to 20 meters (65 feet) tall. Native of south Chile and Argentina. It is found from sea level to 700 meters (2300 feet) above sea level. Its distribution spreads from 35 to 44 S. Lat. Leaves are bright green. In flower between July and November. The flowers are very small and beige-whitish, are hermaphrodite and they group two by two in long racemes. The fruit is dark red when tender and resemble cherry, when ripe it turns black. It can grow up straight or branched from the soil. Its leaves are composite, imparipinnate with folioles of toothed edge.
Uses and cultivation
The seeds are eaten raw or toasted. The nuts contain about 12 percent protein, 49 percent oil, and 24 percent carbohydrates. The seed has a very high concentration of monosaturated oil and is also obtained for several purposes in Chile. It is rich in antioxidants and helps fighting cholesterol. The nut is a good source of Vitamin E (a-tocotrienol) and b-carotene. Its oil is useful for elaborating sunscreen in pharmaceutical industry. Gevuina Oil is a used as cosmetic ingredient for treatment of skin owing to its moisturizing qualities and because is a natural source of Omega 7 (Palmitoleic acid)
. Flowers produce a very delicious honey. Seed shells contain tannin that is used for tanning leather. It is cultivated as ornamental and because of its fruits and wood. It has an acceptable frost resistance when mature. The wood is very estimated, it is creamy-colored and has beautiful dark brown engraving and is used in cabinetry and music instruments.It was introduced in Great Britain in 1826. It succeeds in Ireland, Scotland, New Zealand, California and some parts of England. The tallest in the Britain is 55 feet (17 meters), there are few specimens cultivated in Spain and the North Pacific Coast of the United States. It grows well in temperate oceanic climates with cool temperatures where frosts occur commonly in winter, and that is why it has thrived in southern New Zealand. It lasts 5 years to be harvested and 7 or 8 years for full production. In Seattle, Washington, squirrels and birds eat seeds from the trees. Most of nuts that are for sale are gathered in southern hemisphere's autumn (March-April); but new varieties of greater yield are being developed in Chile and New Zealand.
References and external links
Rodriguez, Roberto; Mathei, Oscar y Quezada, Max. 1983. Flora arborea de Chile. Universidad de Concepcion. 408p.
Donoso, C. 2005. Arboles nativos de Chile. Guia de reconocimiento. Edicion 4. Marisa Cuneo Ediciones, Valdivia, Chile. 136p.
Hoffman, A. 1982. Flora silvestre de Chile zona araucana. Edicion 4. Ediciones Fundacion Claudio Gay, Santiago, Chile. 258p.
Munoz, M. 1980. Flora del Parque Nacional Puyehue. Editorial Universitaria, Santiago, Chile. 557p.
avellana in "Enciclopedia de la Flora Chilena"
avellana: potential for commercial nuts
cool climate nut of the Proteaceae plant tropical family
avellana in the Royal Botanic Garden of Madrid, Spain
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This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article Gevuina avellana
