A tropical tree or plant from South America, possibly used for timber, food, or traditional purposes, though specifics vary by region.
From indigenous South American languages, likely Quechua or Arawakan language family, the word entered Spanish colonial vocabulary and subsequent naturalist literature.
Many South American plant names get lost or confused because European colonists didn't always care about indigenous categories—they just labeled everything by function (food, wood, poison) rather than respecting original names.
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