Which tree native to the Amazon produces the edible nuts called Brazil nuts?

The Brazil nut tree is the Amazonian tree that produces the edible nuts called Brazil nuts.

Its scientific name is Bertholletia excelsa, and it grows naturally in the Amazon Basin, especially in Brazil, Bolivia and Peru. The tree can reach roughly 50 metres in height and may live for centuries. Its large, woody fruits contain the familiar triangular seeds.

Brazil nuts are unusual because most commercial harvesting comes from wild forest trees rather than plantations. The flowers depend on large native bees for pollination, while agoutis help disperse the seeds by opening the hard fruits and burying some of the nuts. This creates an important relationship between the tree and Amazonian wildlife.

A common mix-up is confusing the Brazil nut tree with the rubber tree, another economically important Amazonian species. Brazil nuts are seeds, not true botanical nuts in the strictest sense, and the fruit casing is exceptionally hard. Brazil nut harvesting can therefore provide income while leaving mature forest standing.