Nanse
Nanse (Latin: Byrsonima crassifolia) is a fruiting plant belonging to the Malpighiaceae family and scientifically known as Byrsonima crassifolia.
Description
Nanse is a small evergreen tree with a rather lush crown and reaching a height of approximately ten meters.
The alternate, elliptical, leathery leaves have wedge-shaped bases and elongated or blunt tips. Their width averages four to seven centimeters, and their length can vary from 3. 2 to 17 centimeters.
Nanse”s orange or golden flowers are collected in racemes that can reach twenty centimeters in length.
Nanse fruits are slightly flattened or round drupes, ranging in diameter from eight to twelve centimeters. Each drupe is covered with a glossy, very thin, orange-yellow skin. Inside the fruit is an oily, juicy, white pulp, often with a rather pungent aroma and a sweet or sour taste. The nance pits are irregularly shaped and very hard, each containing one to three seeds.
Where it grows
Nance is native to South and Central America. It is also widely cultivated in the Philippines, the Lesser Antilles, Haiti, Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Cuba.
Uses
Fresh nance fruits are edible and widely consumed. Some people boil them and add them to sauces and soups or eat them as a dessert. Various alcoholic and carbonated drinks are also made from the fruit. And for good reason—the juicy nance fruits have a tonic effect.
These unusual fruits spoil rather quickly when exposed to air, but if they are soaked in water, nance can be stored for several months (at least two). Vitamin K, found in nance, stimulates kidney function and actively participates in tissue and bone metabolism. The ascorbic acid found in the fruit helps strengthen the immune system and significantly enhances the body”s defenses. These marvelous fruits also contain folic acid, essential for expectant mothers, as well as vitamin A, which is very beneficial for eye health. This vitamin is also essential for healthy nails, hair, and skin.
An infusion of nanse bark is an excellent antipyretic and astringent, and is also excellent for various viral ailments. In addition, this decoction helps solve many gynecological problems. Moreover, it promotes easy childbirth and significantly reduces the risk of miscarriage. And in South America, where the bark is called “alcornoco”, it is used for rattlesnake bites and intermittent fever. A decoction of the bark is also used externally for scabies or for washing wounds.
Unripe fruits are sometimes used to dye cotton fabrics — the substances contained in their peels give the material a light brownish tint.
Contraindications
Nance fruits can only harm people with individual intolerance — there is currently no data on any other contraindications.
Growing and care
This bizarre exotic tree is distinguished by its unpretentiousness not only in terms of growing conditions, but also in its care. As a rule, the first harvest is harvested approximately in the third or fourth year after planting nanse. And Nance does not need special care in the form of fertilizing and watering. The only thing is that from the very beginning you should take care of the soil, which should be well moistened, fertile and quite loose.
Experienced gardeners assure that it will not be difficult to grow nanse even on the windowsill of an apartment — however, for this, the miracle tree will have to create the proper conditions. And don’t forget that not all varieties are suitable for home growing.
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