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Caryocar (souari trees) is a genus of flowering plants, in the South American family Caryocaraceae described as a genus by Linnaeus in 1771.^[3][4] It is native primarily to South America with a few species extending into Central America and the West Indies.^[2]

Caryocar consists of trees that yield a strong timber. Some of the species within the genus Caryocar have edible fruits, called souari-nuts or sawarri-nuts.^[5] The most well-known species is probably the Pekea-nut (C. nuciferum). In Brazil the Pequi (C. brasiliense) is most popular; it has a variety of uses, not the least among them being the production of pequi oil. Furthermore, some species are used by indigenous peoples to produce poisons for hunting.

Species^[2]

1. Caryocar amygdaliferum Mutis – Colombia, Panama
2. Caryocar amygdaliforme G.Don – Ecuador, N Peru
3. Caryocar brasiliense A.St.-Hil. – Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay
4. Caryocar coriaceum Wittm. – N Brazil
5. Caryocar costaricense Donn.Sm. – Costa Rica
6. Caryocar cuneatum Wittm. – Brazil
7. Caryocar dentatum Gleason – NW Brazil, Bolivia
8. Caryocar edule Casar. – Bahia, Rio de Janeiro
9. Caryocar glabrum (Aubl.) Pers. – French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil
10. Caryocar microcarpum Ducke – Lesser Antilles, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Brazil, Bolivia
11. Caryocar montanum Prance – Guyana, Bolívar, Roraima
12. Caryocar nuciferum L. – Pekea-nut, Butter-nut of Guinea – St. Kitts, St. Vincent, French Guiana, Suriname, Guyana, Venezuela, N Brazil
13. Caryocar pallidum A.C.Sm. – NW Brazil, S Venezuela, Bolivia
14. Caryocar villosum (Aubl.) Pers. – French Guiana, Venezuela, N Brazil, Colombia

• Hoehne, F.C. (1946). Frutas Indígenas [in Portuguese]. Instituto de Botânica da Secretaria de Agricultura, Indústria e Comércio de São Paulo.
• photo of herbarium specimen at Missouri Botanical Garden, collected in Panama, Caryocar amygdaliferum
• photo of Caryocar costaricense, taken in Costa Rica by Reinaldo Aguilar