Abelmoschus esculentus (L - the University of Maine at Fort Kent

Kermath, Bennett and Pulsipher - Food Plants in the Americs
FAMILY: Sapindaceae (soapberry or soapwort)
ENGLISH: Brazilian cocoa, cupana, guarana
PORTUGUESE: cupana, gisipó, guaraná, guaraná-iiva, guaraná-ripó,
guaraná-sipo, guaraná-uva, naraná, naranajeiro, naranazeiro,
quarana, uarana, uaraná, uraná
SPANISH: cupana, cupania, guaraná, palo cuadrado, paulinia, uabano,
yoco
USES/NOTES: Seeds (containing guaranine and up to 5 % caffeine), of
the yellow to red/orange fruits, are processed into syrup for use
in juice, soft drinks, and liqueurs, or roasted and ground into
powder to make tea or various medicinal stimulants — said to
improve strength and energy, aid digestion, improve sexual
performance, and act as a laxative. Guaraná products are readily
available in Brazil and increasingly so in health food stores of
developed countries. Guaraná is now an ingredient in soft drinks
and bottled teas in North America and is marketed as a health
suppliment in powdered gel capsules. Guaraná soft drink sales
rival those of colas in Brazil.
NATURAL RANGE: probably centered near Mundurucina between the
Tapajós and Madeira rivers of central Amazonian Brazil, perhaps
into the Brazil-Colombia-Venezuela border region, now spread to
Amazonian Ecuador
REFERENCES: Balick 1985, Bourke et al. 1987, Carneiro Martins 1989,
Cavalcante 1991, Clement 1989, Corrêa et al. 1979, Duke and
Vásquez 1994, Erickson et al. 1984, Guia Rural n.d., Henman 1982,
León 1987, Kermath (notes), Meurer-Grimes et al. 1998, Mors and
Rizzini 1966, Morton 1976a, National Research Council 1989, OAS
1973, Prance and Balick 1990, Renner et al. 1990, Silva et al.
1977
Paullinia macrophylla Cambess.
FAMILY: Sapindaceae (soapberry or soapwort)
SPANISH: bejuco prieto
USES/NOTES: Aril is edible.
NATURAL RANGE: Colombia to French Guiana
REFERENCES: Martin et al. 1987
Paullinia obovata var. subrotunda (Ruiz & Pavón) D. Simpson [syn.
P. subrotunda (Ruiz & Pavón) Pers.]
FAMILY: Sapindaceae (soapberry or soapwort)
PORTUGUESE: guaraná-bravo
USES/NOTES: Aril and seeds are edible.
NATURAL RANGE: Tropical South America
REFERENCES: Martin et al. 1987, Simpson 1976, UFA/NYBG n.d.
Paullinia pinnata L.
FAMILY: Sapindaceae (soapberry or soapwort)
ENGLISH: bread-and-cheese, cheese-and-bread, supple jack
PORTUGUESE: cipó, cipó-cruapé, cipó-cruapé-vermelho, cipó-cururu,
cipó-timbó, cipó-tingui, cruape-vermelho, cumaru-ape, cumaru-apé,
DRAFT - DO NOT DUPLICATE OR DISTRIBUTE
548