Taxon: Couroupita guianensis Aubl.

Summary

Genus:

Couroupita

Family:

Lecythidaceae

Subfamily:

Lecythidoideae

Nomen number:

11869

Place of publication:

Hist. pl. Guiane 708, t. 282. 1775

Verified:

11/23/1994 ARS Systematic Botanists.

Accessions:

9 (3 active, 1 available) in National Plant Germplasm System. (Map it)

Other conspecific taxa

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

Images (1 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)
APHIS. Agricultural Risk Management System United States Department of Agriculture.
Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1331.
Fouché, J.-G. 1999. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
IPGRI. New World Fruits Database (on-line resource).
Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
Mori, S. A. et al. Lecythidaceae pages (on-line resource).
Porcher, M. H. et al. Searchable World Wide Web Multilingual Multiscript Plant Name Database (MMPND) (on-line resource).

Common names

Language	Name	seq	Citation
English	cannonball-tree	1	Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening
French	arbre à boulet de canon	2	Fouché, J.-G. 1999. pers. comm. Note: re. French common names
German	Kanonenkugelbaum	2	Erhardt, W. et al. 2008. Der große Zander: Enzyklopädie der Pflanzennamen 2:1331.
Spanish	bala de cañon	2	Mori, S. A. et al. Lecythidaceae pages (on-line resource).
Spanish	bola de cañon	2	Mori, S. A. et al. Lecythidaceae pages (on-line resource).
Swedish	kanonkuleträd	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	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Acre		Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Amazonas		Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Brazil	Brazil	Pará		Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Costa Rica			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Central America	Panama			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	French Guiana			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Guyana			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Suriname			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Northern South America	Venezuela			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Colombia			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Ecuador			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
1	Native	Southern America	Western South America	Peru			Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
2	Cultivated					widely cult. in tropics & subtropics	Mori, S. A. et al. Lecythidaceae pages (on-line resource).

Native
Southern America

CENTRAL AMERICA: Costa Rica, Panama
NORTHERN SOUTH AMERICA: French Guiana, Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela
BRAZIL: Brazil [Acre, Amazonas, Pará]
WESTERN SOUTH AMERICA: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru

Cultivated (widely cult. in tropics & subtropics)

Reference(s)

Mori, S. A. & G. T. Prance. 1990. Lecythidaceae - Part II. The zygomorphic-flowered New World genera (Couroupita, Corythophora, Bertholletia, Couratari, Eschweilera, & Lecythis). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 21(2):95-103.
Mori, S. A. et al. Lecythidaceae pages (on-line resource).

Economic Uses

Usage	Type	Note	Reference
Environmental	ornamental		Huxley, A., ed. 1992. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening

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=11869. Accessed 12 May 2026.