Which tree produces the Brazil nuts sold as a major Amazonian forest product?

The Brazil nut tree produces the Brazil nuts that are gathered as a major Amazonian forest product.

Its scientific name is Bertholletia excelsa, and it grows naturally in the Amazon rainforest of Bolivia, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Venezuela, and Guyana. The tree can exceed 40 metres in height and may live for centuries.

Brazil nuts develop inside large, woody fruits that resemble coconuts. Each fruit usually contains 10 to 25 seeds, arranged in compartments. Wild trees depend heavily on large-bodied bees for pollination, while agoutis help disperse seeds by burying some of the nuts.

A common mix-up is calling the edible seed itself a nut botanically; it is technically a seed inside a woody fruit. Most commercial Brazil nuts are collected from wild trees rather than produced in conventional plantations.