Taxon: Genipa americana L.

Summary

Genus:

Genipa

Family:

Rubiaceae

Subfamily:

Dialypetalanthoideae

Tribe:

Gardenieae

Nomen number:

395

Place of publication:

Syst. nat. ed. 10, 2:931. 1759

Typification:

View in Linnean Typification Project

Verified:

11/06/1985 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

13 (2 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

Autonyms (not in current use), synonyms and invalid designations

Autonym(s)
Genipa americana L. var. americana

Heterotypic Synonym(s)
Genipa americana L. var. caruto (Kunth) Schumach.
Genipa caruto Kunth

Images (3 total. Click on image for more.)

Conservation Status

Reference(s)

Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)
Andersson, L. 1992. A provisional checklist of neotropical Rubiaceae. Scripta Botanica 1.
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Backer, C. A. & R. C. Bakhuizen van den Brink, Jr. 1963-1968. Flora of Java. Note: introduced
Boggan, J. et al. 1992. Checklist of the plants of the Guianas
Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 2010. Ecocrop (on-line resource).
Fournet, J. 1978. Flore illustrée des phanerogames de Guadeloupe et de Martinique
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Instituto de Botánica Darwinion. 2008. Flora del Conosur. Catálogo de las plantas vasculares.
IPGRI. New World Fruits Database (on-line resource).
Kartesz, J. T. 1994. A synonymized checklist of the vascular flora of the United States, Canada, and Greenland.
Killeen, T. J. et al. 1993. Guia de arboles de Bolivia
Lasser, T., ed. 1964-. Flora de Venezuela.
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
Liogier, H. A. & L. F. Martorell. 1982. Flora of Puerto Rico and adjacent islands: a systematic synopsis.
Macbride, J. F. et al., eds. 1936-. Flora of Peru Note: 1936-1971; new ser. 1980-
Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
Personal Care Products Council. International Nomenclature Cosmetic Ingredient
Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 139.
Villachica, H. 1996. Frutales y hortalizas promisorios de la amazonia. In: Secretaria Pro-Tempore, Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica. 44:151-156.
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	genip	1	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
English	genipap	1	Liberty Hyde Bailey Hortorium. 1976. Hortus third. A concise dictionary of plants cultivated in the United States and Canada
English	marmalade-box	1	Markle, G. M. et al., eds. 1998. Food and feed crops of the United States, ed. 2
French	confiture de singe	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
French	génipa	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Portuguese (Brazil)	jenipapo	2	Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Spanish	caruto	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	genipa	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	huito	2	Soukup, J. 1970. Vocabulario de los nombres vulgares de la flora peruana. 139.
Spanish	irayol	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Spanish	yagua	2	Rehm, S. 1994. Multilingual dictionary of agronomic plants
Swedish	genipa	2	Aldén, B., S. Ryman, & M. Hjertson. 2012. Svensk Kulturväxtdatabas, SKUD (Swedish Cultivated and Utility Plants Database; online resource)

Distribution

order_code	Status	Continent	Subcontinent	Country	State	Note	Reference
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Sinaloa		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Northern Mexico	Mexico	Zacatecas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Aguascalientes		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Campeche		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Chiapas		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Colima		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Guerrero		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Jalisco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Michoacán de Ocampo		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Nayarit		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Oaxaca		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Tabasco		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Northern America	Southern Mexico	Mexico	Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave		Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Cuba			León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Grenada			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Guadeloupe			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Hispaniola
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	Martinique			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Lucia			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	St. Vincent and Grenadines			Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
1	Native	Southern America	Caribbean	United States	Puerto Rico
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	El Salvador
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Guatemala
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Honduras
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Nicaragua
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela
1	Native	Southern America	Southern South America	Paraguay
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Bolivia			Killeen, T. J. et al. 1993. Guia de arboles de Bolivia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
2	Cultivated					cult. in neotropics	Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
2	Cultivated	Asia-Tropical	Malesia	Philippines			Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6

Native
Northern America

NORTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Sinaloa, Zacatecas]
SOUTHERN MEXICO: Mexico [Aguascalientes, Campeche, Chiapas, Colima, Guerrero, Jalisco, Michoacán de Ocampo, Nayarit, Oaxaca, Tabasco, Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave]

Southern America

CARIBBEAN: Hispaniola, Cuba, Guadeloupe, Grenada, St. Lucia, Martinique, United States [Puerto Rico], St. Vincent and Grenadines
CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, El Salvador
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
SOUTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: Paraguay

Cultivated

REGION:

Asia-Tropical

MALESIA: Philippines

Reference(s)

Brako, L. & J. L. Zarucchi. 1993. Catalogue of the flowering plants and gymnosperms of Peru. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 45
Hanelt, P., ed. 2001. Mansfeld's encyclopedia of agricultural and horticultural crops. Volumes 1-6
Howard, R. 1974-1989. Flora of the lesser Antilles.
Killeen, T. J. et al. 1993. Guia de arboles de Bolivia
León (J. S. Sauget) & Alain (E. E. Liogier). 1946-1969. Flora de Cuba
Villaseñor, J. L. 2016. Checklist of the native vascular plants of Mexico. Rev. Mex. Biodivers. 87:874.
Woodson, R. E. & R. W. Schery, eds. 1943-1980. Flora of Panama.

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental	potential	Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Environmental	pollution control	for bioremediation	Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Human food	beverage base	cooked and processed	Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Human food	beverage base	potential	Villachica, H. 1996. Frutales y hortalizas promisorios de la amazonia. In: Secretaria Pro-Tempore, Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica. 44:151-156.
Human food	fruit	potential	Villachica, H. 1996. Frutales y hortalizas promisorios de la amazonia. In: Secretaria Pro-Tempore, Tratado de Cooperacion Amazonica. 44:151-156.
Materials	tannin/dyestuff	source of dye	Silva, A. V. C. et al. 2018. Genipa americana. Jenipapo. In: Coradin, L. et al., Espécies nativas da flora brasileira de valor econômico atual ou potencial: plantas para o futuro: região Nordeste 169-176. Note: cultivated, although mainly used for its fruits extracted from the wild; fruits are cooked and source of a dye, while the bark can be used for tannins; it is a pioneer species and used for restoration and bioremediaton in sites with heavy metal contamination
Materials	wood		Killeen, T. J. et al. 1993. Guia de arboles de Bolivia
Materials	wood	as Genipa caruto	Standley, P. C. & J. A. Steyermark. 1946-1976. Flora of Guatemala. Note: as Genipa caruto

Cite as: USDA, Agricultural Research Service, National Plant Germplasm System. 2026. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN Taxonomy). National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.
URL: https://npgstest.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxon/taxonomydetail?id=395. Accessed 13 May 2026.