La Castaña Amazónica

Mater Iniciativa's work with Bertholletia excelsa.

The Castaña Amazónica, also called the Brazil Nut. Photo: Nicholas Gill.

The primary dispersal of Bertholletia excelsa, best known as the Brazil Nut, is through forest rodents, like the agouti. The large fruits, which can weigh as much as 2 kilos each, are broken open by these animals to reveal the roughly twenty nuts inside. Some are eaten, while others…