Quipá

Description:

Quipá (Tacinga inamoena), also known as palmatória, cumbeba or gogóia, is a cactus endemic to the Brazilian semiarid and found in most of the region. Its tiny thorns are clustered into tufts that can be extreme irritants (inamoena means unfriendly). It produces a few, dark orange flowers that, unlike those of the Mandacaru, open during the day. Its rounded fruit (4.0 cm), ranging from yellow to a dull orange, is also armed with thorns and contains meaty pulp. During the dry season's scarcity, its fruits and stems provide welcome food for people and animals. However, if cattle eat the plant with its thorns they can suffer serious digestive tract damage. The fruit is also used to make sweets and jams. The Quipá's chemical composition, shape, smell and flavor are similar to those of the Palma Forrageira (Opuntia ficus-indica); they are consumed either fresh or processed. Given its nutritional potency, with calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium, the Quipá fruit may be exploited as an alternative food source and/or as a source of supplementary income for family farming. Traditional medicine uses the plant to treat asthma, inflammations and worms.