page_title: Caryodendron orinocense
section_title: Taxonomy and etymology
hierarchical_section_title: Caryodendron orinocense / Taxonomy and etymology
caption_attribution_description: Español: Ilustración de Caryodendron orinocense (cacay) cómo fue publicada en Florae Columbiae por Hermann Karsten en 1858. English: Illustration of Caryodendron orinocense (cacay) as was published in Florae Columbiae by Hermann Karsten in 858.
context_page_description: Caryodendron orinocense, commonly known as cacay, inchi or orinoconut, is an evergreen tree belonging to the family Euphorbiaceae.
  This species of flowering plant is indigenous to the north-west of South America, particularly from the drainage basins of the Orinoco and Amazon rivers located in Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru and Brazil. Originally described by Hermann Karsten in 1858, the cacay tree distinguishes itself by its dense and leafy top, as well as its production of fruits, each one containing three edible nuts. Cacay is notable for the oil extracted from its nuts, which is edible and is also used in cosmetics.
context_section_description: The species Caryodendron orinocense  was described in 1858 by the German botanist Hermann Karsten, and was published in Florae Columbiae. In its scientific name, the term Caryodendron is derived from the ancient Greek káryon, meaning "nut", and déndron, meaning "tree". Its epithet orinocense suggests that the species was first identified near the Orinoco river.
  Caryodendron orinocense is found under the following phylogenetic tree within the Caryodendreae tribe. The number in parenthesis represents the year in which the species was described.
caption: Illustration in Florae Columbiae (1858)
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