Karuka

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Karuka
"Pandanus julianettii" fruit cluster
Pandanus julianettii fruit cluster
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Order: Pandanales
Family: Pandanaceae
Genus: Pandanus
Subgenus: Pandanus subg. Lophostigma
Section: Pandanus sect. Karuka
Species:
P. julianettii
Binomial name
Pandanus julianettii
Synonyms
Karuka nuts (kernels)
Nutritional value per 100 g
Energy2,259–2,929 kJ (540–700 kcal)
28-33.5 g
Sugars5 g
Dietary fiber9.2-25 g
35.6-47 g
Saturated18 g
Trans0
11.9-18 g
Tryptophan102-136 mg
Threonine435-482 mg
Isoleucine503-555 mg
Leucine904-993 mg
Lysine426-526 mg
Methionine272-279 mg
Cystine204-234 mg
Phenylalanine571-613 mg
Tyrosine408-438 mg
Valine745-832 mg
Arginine1238-1329 mg
Histidine293-336 mg
Alanine585-642 mg
Aspartic acid1064-1197 mg
Glutamic acid2285-2453 mg
Glycine638-701 mg
Proline530-613 mg
Serine545-584 mg
VitaminsQuantity
%DV†
Vitamin A2 IU
Vitamin C
7%
6.40 mg
Vitamin E
3%
0.46 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
62%
97-460 mg
Iron
2328%
419 mg
Phosphorus
191%
220-360 mg
Potassium
10%
300.22 mg
Sodium
3%
71.21 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Water9%
Cholesterol0
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[5]
Source: [3][2]
Karuka core (mesocarp)
Nutritional value per 100 g
 
Dietary fiber5.3 g
0.43 g
8.5 g
Threonine289 mg
Isoleucine281 mg
Leucine485 mg
Lysine196 mg
Methionine170 mg
Phenylalanine315 mg
Tyrosine323 mg
Valine340 mg
Arginine255 mg
Histidine162 mg
Alanine391 mg
Aspartic acid672 mg
Glutamic acid748 mg
Glycine459 mg
Proline196 mg
Serine315 mg
MineralsQuantity
%DV†
Calcium
9%
120 mg
Phosphorus
11%
140 mg
Other constituentsQuantity
Cholesterol0
†Percentages estimated using US recommendations for adults,[4] except for potassium, which is estimated based on expert recommendation from the National Academies.[5]
Source: [3][2]

The karuka (Pandanus julianettii, also called karuka nut and Pandanus nut) is a species of tree in the screwpine family (Pandanaceae) and an important regional food crop in New Guinea.[6] The nuts are more nutritious than coconuts,[2] and are so popular that villagers in the highlands will move their entire households closer to trees for the harvest season.[7][8]

Names

The specific epithet "julianettii" honors naturalist Amedeo Giulianetti, who found the original type specimens.[1]

Karuka is a

subsection named Karuka, which is in the monotypic section also named Karuka.[15]

In

Imbongu language word is amo.[6][3][18]

The plant also has many names on the other half of the island. In Indonesian it is called pandan kelapa (lit.coconut pandan) and kelapa hutan (forest coconut),[22] but these names can also refer to P. brosimos and P. iwen.[23] According to field research by Kiwo et al. in Melagineri District, Lanny Jaya, the Lani people call it gawin, with woromo for P. brosimos, owandak for P. Iwen.[24] Meanwhile according to field research by Zebua et al. in Pirime District, Lanny Jaya, woromo is used to refer to P. Iwen,[25] while in another study in Jayawijaya, the Lani used woromo for P. julianettii with the Dani people call it tuke,[22][23] hence the names have been used interchangeably by multiple publications from different regions and might be a separate species in the complex.

Description

The species was originally described by Ugolino Martelli from only a few drupes in the collections of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew[1] He was hesitant to describe it as a new species from only that, but the characteristics were so salient he published his description.[1]

The tree is

dioecious (individual plants either have male flowers or female ones),[6] with male trees uncommon compared to females.[3] It reaches 10–30 metres (33–98 ft) in height, with a grey trunk[2] of 30 centimetres (12 inches) in diameter and supported by prop roots or flying buttress roots up to forty feet (twelve meters) in length and six inches (15 cm) or more in diameter..[6] The trunk has white mottling and is generally smooth with occasional warts or small knobs as well as rings of leaf scars.[12] Inside the trunk is pithy and lacking cambium.[12] The top of the tree sometimes branches, producing three or four crowns of leaves.[3] Each crown will produce a single cluster of nuts, typically once every other season.[3] Production is affected by the seasonality of local rainfall.[7]

midrib.[2] The leaves are dark green on top and dull cyan underneath.[12]

The

anthers.[6] The male flowers are white,[3] and the whole male flowering organ may be up to 2 metres (6 ft 7 in) long.[12]

The

echinae (short spines).[26] The ulcerate aperture is 3 μm in diameter.[26] Pollen grains measure an average of 30 × 14.5 μm in size.[26]

On female trees, the inflorescence is a single ellipsoid or ovoid

carpels that later turn into drupes.[6][3]

The

mesocarp) has an appearance like honeycomb and is spongy[6] and pink.[3] The top of the mesocarp is fibrous, from 3 cm long and up.[1] Though Martelli did not have a complete syncarp, he knew the cluster of fruit must be large, estimating at least 30 cm in diameter.[1] He was correct, as the fruiting cluster is typically 15 to 30 cm in diameter.[3] A mature head and stalk weigh up to 16 kg,[6] but average 6 kg.[3] but weights up to sixty pounds ((27,3 kilograms) have been reported.[27]

It most closely resembles

P. utilissimus, which is found the Philippines.[1] People also harvest and eat nuts of P. antaresensis, P. brosimos, P. dubius, P. iwen, and P. limbatus, and P. odoratissima[7]

Cultivars

There are up to 45

cultivars of karuka,[12] many with different kernel shapes.[3] There are likely many more, as some are known only to a small number of people in a single settlement.[12] 'Tabuna' and 'Henga' are some of the most important.[2] 'Tabuna' is popular because it is high-yielding, tastes good, and has no taboos on who/what can eat it and how/if it is cooked.[2] At least two varieties are edible raw.[3]

Named varieties include:[2][12]

  • Baerel
  • Bort
  • Dob
  • Dobiyael
  • Dor
  • Emonk
  • Gaslŋ[19]
  • Goalia
  • Gurubu
  • Hagidara
  • Hael
  • Hap
  • Henga
  • Homagal-iba
  • Honal
  • Honde
  • Hones
  • Humbuwm
  • Kaba
  • Kabali
  • Kagat
  • Kai
  • Kambiyp
  • Kat
  • Kebali
  • Kongop
  • Korhombom
  • Laek
  • Lebaga
  • Mabiyp
  • Mabu
  • Maeka
  • Maela
  • Maeraeng
  • Mbul
  • Morguwm
  • Nenjay
  • Ngaule
  • Nolorwaembuw
  • Ohaib
  • Ombohonday
  • Padua
  • Pari
  • Pebet
  • Peliya
  • Piliyhongor
  • Posjuwk
  • Sayzel
  • Shond
  • Shuwimb
  • Tabuna
  • Tabuwn
  • Taeshaen
  • Taziy
  • Tenyon
  • Tiyt
  • Toi
  • Tolo
  • Tombpayliya
  • Tomok
  • Tumbi
  • Tumbu
  • Womb

It is possible a cultivar is listed more than once under different names, as Papua New Guinea has a very high linguistic diversity.

light microscopy.[26] P. iwen may also be part of the species complex.[15]

Distribution

Giulianetti's type specimens were collected from

montane forests[9] between 1,300 and 3,300 m in elevation in areas that get 2–5 m mean annual precipitation.[6][7] It grows in both dry and wet soils,[6][7] but prefers good soil fertility.[3] Trees will grow in clumped groups of 5 to 10 individuals per hectare.[7]

Ecology

Karuka produces fruit around February, with an occasional secondary season in July.[3] Typically each branch will only flower every other year.[3] The natural pollination syndrome is unknown, but the flowers can be pollinated by humans.[7] Seed dispersal is by humans, birds, and other animals.[7] According to the Kalam people of Madang Province, the Lorentz's mosaic-tailed rat (Paramelomys lorentzii) helps spread karuka seeds.[21] A fallen syncarp will disintegrate completely in about 3 days in the forest.[2]

Fungal pests of karuka include leaf spot, diffuse leaf spot, black leaf mould (Lembosia pandani), sooty mold (Meliola juttingii), and fungus on seeds (Macrophoma pandani).[3] The leaf moulds do not do much damage.[3] The sooty mould seems to grow on insect frass.[3] The black leaf mold only affects some varieties.[3]

The bacteria Pectobacterium carotovorum subsp. carotovorum can also cause bacterial soft rot and necrosis on the leaves, but causes more severe damage to the related species Pandanus conoideus.[11]

grub will burrow into the cluster and eat the spongy core, causing the nuts to turn black and the whole bunch to fall off the tree.[3] Woodboring beetles sometimes attack the prop root of the tree.[3]

Possums also eat the nuts,[3] as do rodents such as squirrel-toothed rats (Anisomys imitator), eastern white-eared giant rats (Hyomys goliath), Rothschild's woolly rats (Mallomys rothschildi), and giant naked-tailed rats (Uromys anak).[12] Growers will put platforms or other obstacles on the trunks of trees to keep the pests out.[3][12]

Harvested nuts are often beset by rats and cockroaches.[3] Hanging nuts in the smoky areas above fires can prevent this, but after a while the taste of the nuts is affected.[3]

Use by humans

On New Guinea karuka is cultivated crop,

pigs, who are sometimes fed the fruits[2]) will move from the valleys to higher elevations at harvest time,[7] often for several weeks.[8] Each household will average 12 to 176 trees.[8]

Trade in karuka is small-scale and not commercial.[7] Local marketplaces typically will have 12 to 50 fruits for sale.[8] With some coordination between state agencies and private sector, karuka could have export market access.[14] The crop has a medium potential for large-scale sustainable commercialization in the region, but care must be taken in the sensitive local environments to expanded agriculture.[7] Diets of tree owners could also be negatively influenced by rapid commercialization.[7]

The endosperm, a white kernel, is eaten raw, roasted, smoked,[6] or mumued.[3] Nuts that aren't immediately eaten are typically sun-dried for storage.[3] The karuka kernels have a sweet, coconut taste,[6][12][22] or savory and like walnuts.[23] Smoked or cooked karuka is either stored in the rafters or sold at local marketplaces.[6] The uncooked clusters can also be stored for months buried in waterlogged earth,[6][3][2] which possibly ferments it.[12] It is a regional staple food and one of the few plants in the area with a high protein content.[6] The spongy core of the multiple fruit cluster can also be cooked and eaten after the nuts are removed.[6][3]

Oil extracted from the nuts

The high

α-tocopherol 5.03 mg/100 g).[22] The color of the oil is from the carotenoids, which are at a concentration of 2.75 µg/g.[22] The antioxidant activity for the oil is fairly low, and it is higher in saturated than unsaturated fats.[22]

Some subjective reports indicate that children are healthier after karuka season, but there may also be increased incidence of tropical ulcers and pig-bel (caused by Clostridium perfringens).[2] But the connections, if any, are unclear.

Trunks and buttress roots are used for building.

spathe leaves on male inflorescences are used by the Wola people to wrap pearl shells.[12]

Karuka can be cultivated by cutting a mature branch and replanting it (vegetative propagation).[3] Suckers can also be replanted.[3] Nurseries also plant seeds directly.[3] New nuts will grow when a tree is at least five or six years old, and can keep producing for up to fifty years.[3][2] The tree can tolerate temperatures down to 3 °C for extended periods and 0 °C for short periods.[17] The USDA hardiness is 10–12, and is hardy to zone 10 in the UK system.[29]

In

Pingirip, karukas are planted as boundary lines between garden plots.[3]

In culture

In PNG's Central Province Premier Rugby League the team for Goilala District is called the Karukas.[30]

See also

References

  1. ^
    OCLC 899525984. Archived
    from the original on 2022-08-12. Retrieved 2022-09-26.
  2. ^
    OCLC 17294235
    .
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z aa ab ac ad ae af ag ah ai aj ak al am an ao ap aq ar as at au av French, Bruce R. (1982). Growing food in the Southern Highlands Province of Papua New Guinea (PDF). AFTSEMU (Agricultural Field Trials, Surveys, Evaluation and Monitoring Unit) of the World Bank funded project in the Southern Highlands of Papua New Guinea. pp. 64–71. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  4. ^ a b United States Food and Drug Administration (2024). "Daily Value on the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels". Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  5. ^
    PMID 30844154.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  6. ^
    OCLC 822591349
    .
  7. ^
    OCLC 38390455
    . Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  8. ^
    OCLC 224338489. Archived
    from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
  9. ^
    OCLC 5679030487
    .
  10. ^
    OCLC 696476493
    .
  11. ^
    OCLC 4660013776
    .
  12. ^
    OCLC 9556314
    .
  13. ^
    OCLC 883021898
    .
  14. ^ a b c d e f Quartermain, Alan R.; Tomi, Barbara, eds. (2010). Fruits and Nuts: Research and Development Issues in Papua New Guinea Papers presented at the Fruits and Nuts Workshop held at the IATP Farmer Training Centre, University of Natural Resource and Environment (formerly University of Vudal) from 11–13 October 2005 (PDF). Workshop Proceedings. Vol. 9. Lae, Papua New Guinea: National Agricultural Research Institute. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  15. ^
    S2CID 3121361
    .
  16. OCLC 993340993
    .
  17. ^ a b "Pandanus julianettii". Ecocrop. Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN. 1993–2007. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  18. ^
    OCLC 260177442. Archived
    (PDF) from the original on 5 December 2020. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  19. ^
    OCLC 251862814
    .
  20. OCLC 222981840
    .
  21. ^
    OCLC 798464842
    .
  22. ^
    OCLC 7347063503. Archived
    from the original on 17 April 2018. Retrieved 20 October 2018.
  23. ^
    OCLC 981032990. Archived from the original
    (PDF) on 29 October 2018. Retrieved 25 October 2018.
  24. ISSN 2722-6212
    .
  25. ISSN 1755-1307
    .
  26. ^
    S2CID 85369387
    .
  27. ^ Webbia Volume 2 (1908) p.433.
  28. S2CID 144950914
    .
  29. ^ "Pandanus julianettii - Martelli". Plants for a Future. 1996–2012. Archived from the original on 6 December 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  30. ^ Pangkatana, John (September 21, 2018). "Karukas to be put to acid test in Central playoffs The Goilala Karukas are set to move into high gear". Post Courier Online. Archived from the original on 20 September 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Karuka&oldid=1220500017"
This page is based on the copyrighted Wikipedia article: Karuka. Articles is available under the CC BY-SA 3.0 license; additional terms may apply.Privacy Policy