Photos

Taken in a village in Alter do Chao, where a tree at the fringe of the rain forst was shown us, the fruit, the shell and the nuts (Brazil nuts)inside the huge shell. Then the man opened the shell, showed us how the Brazil nuts where nicely "designer packed" inside the coconut like shell. It was an eye opener for me. In the photo is a the man and his niece. The pretty niece takes care of selling the nuts.Her picture is shown here, Brazilian Beauty. The man has a painted face. It is an indication of being part of an indian tribe in Brazil. Even the kids are proud to wear that painted face identification.

The Brazil Nut is a South American tree Bertholletia excelsa in the family Lecythidaceae. It is the only species in the genus Bertholletia. It is native to Guiana, Venezuela, Brazil, eastern Colombia, eastern Peru and eastern Bolivia. It occurs as scattered trees in large forests on the banks of the Amazon, Rio Negro, and the Orinoco. It is a large tree, reaching 30–45 m tall and 1–2 m trunk diameter, among the largest of trees in the Amazon Rainforests. The leaves are dry-season deciduous, alternate, simple, entire or crenate, oblong, 20–35 cm long and 10–15 cm broad. Brazil nuts only produce fruit in virgin forests, as forests that are not virgin usually lack an orchid that is indirectly responsible for the pollination of the flowers.

Despite their name, the most significant exporter of Brazil nuts is not Brazil but Bolivia, where they are called almendras. In Brazil these nuts are called castanhas-do-Pará, literally "chestnuts from Pará". Indigenous names include juvia in the Orinoco area, and sapucaia in Brazil. In the United States, there is a perjorative slang term for the Brazil nut, "nigger toes".

Above info taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brazil_nut

A photo of the pretty niece is posted in TL.

Also look at my postings in TrekLens Faces & Images of the Amazon River.

PP Work: Adjust levels control; Adjust saturation; Sharpen; Crop; Frame; Reduce image size for posting.