Re: [CH] Off Topic

Brent Thompson (brent@hplbct.hpl.hp.com)
Mon, 29 Jun 1998 09:28:10 -0700 

> Does anybody know what nances are?

Nance is a tropical fruit.  Here's what I just now found on the web -- too
bad I don't know Spanish.

! # http://www.aoi.com.au/atcros/DM.htm
!     ATCROS Table D - Comprehensive Guide to Tropical & Subtropical Fruits
! 
! Genus species (Common names) N=Native area. P=Plant type / Fruit. U=Uses.
! L=Leaf fall /G=Growth /W=Wind resistance /S=Salt tolerance/C=Cold tolerance
! /D=Drought tolerance /F=Flood tolerance
!   ------------------------------------------------------------------------
! Byrsonima crassifolia (Nance ) N=Central America . P=tree, medium / small,
! sweet. aromatic, yellow. U=fresh . L=E /G=F /W=2 /S=1/C=1 /D=2 /F=1


! <http://www.mexicodesconocido.com.mx/hierbas/1972.htm>
! NANCE, NANCHE, NANANCHE, O NAN-CHI 
! (photo)
! Byrsonima crassifolia Linnaeus Kunth. Fam. Malpighiaceae 
! 
! Este árbol crece en México, principalmente en Sinaloa, Nayarit, Guerrero,
! Michoacán, Tabasco, Veracruz y Morelos. La parte que más se usa en la
! medicina popular es la corteza, ya que por sus propiedades astringentes se
! emplea el cocimiento (para tomarla como agua de uso) como antidiarréico;
! también se utiliza para infecciones en la matriz e inflamación en los
! ovarios y otros tipos de desórdenes digestivos como disentería y dolor de
! estómago. Por otra son muy conocidas las propiedades del Nanche para curar
! afecciones de la piel como sarna, salpullido y heridas, mediante el uso de
! la cocción hecha con éste y trozos de corteza de cedro; además ha resultado
! eficaz para afianzar las encías, aliviar el dolor de cintura, resfriado y
! para las mordeduras de víbora.
! 
! Arbol de 4 a 9 m de altura con hojas alargadas y flores en racimos de color
! amarillo-rojizo. Los frutos son globosos del tamaño de un garbanzo. Habita
! en lugares con climas cálido, semicálido y templado. En México, el Nanche
! está asociada con la selva tropical caducifolia, subcaducifolia,
! subperennifolia y perennifolia; matorral xerófilo y con bosques de encino y
! pino.

! # http://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1996/v3-431.html
!               South American Fruits Deserving Further Attention
!                             Richard J. Campbell
! Malpighiaceae
! 
! This family of 1100 species is best represented in fruit crops by the acerola (Malpighia glabra L.) which is widely cultivated on a
! commercial scale throughout the tropics as a fresh fruit, juice, and natural source of vitamin C. Other members of this family from
! South America are also widespread throughout the tropics as food sources on a local scale.
! 
! Byrsonima crassifolia (L.) H.B.K. Nance. This fruit is native from the Caribbean through Central America and throughout most of
! South America. It has one of the widest native ranges of all fruit crops in Tropical America. Trees are tolerant of a wide range of
! environments, from the coastal Caribbean, the semi-desert regions of northeastern Brazil, the humid tropical lowlands and the
! middle elevations (1,000 m) of Central and South America. Throughout their range, nance trees are left when forests are cleared,
! and maintained in a state of semi-wild cultivation. The fruit from these trees are harvested by local residents, consumed,
! preserved, or sold to local markets.
! 
! The tree can attain a height of 10 to 15 m. While in flower the tree is quite ornamental, with showy orange and yellow
! inflorescences. The fruit are variable, ranging in size from 2 to 5 cm throughout its range. The skin is usually yellow, with a
! yellowish, translucent flesh and a single seed. The flavor is sweet and aromatic, sometimes with an oily or musky flavor. The
! nance is consumed fresh, as a preserved product, a juice or a liquer. In the markets of the lowland tropics, it is commonplace to find
! nance packed in water in glass containers.
! 
! Propagation is generally by seed, but the trees are easily grafted and in some locations (Yucatan, MX) superior clones are
! commercially propagated by veneer or cleft grafting. Fruit of superior clones may be yellow or red, and up to 6 to 7 cm in
! diameter. These clones typically have a superior flavor to the wild types, and are commonly consumed as a fresh fruit. The trees
! are sensitive to cold, but have survived repeated freezes in South Florida (Campbell et al. 1977). Due to the wide-spread
! familiarity with this fruit there is the potential for the marketing of fresh fruit of superior cultivars. In addition, with its
! adaptation to varied climates, the nance could become an important processed fruit for the lowland tropics if it could be
! successfully marketed.