ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Oiticica. Seeds of Licania Rigida tree are the source of Oiticica Oil, a drying oil used in place of tung oil for varnishes and protective coatings. Trees are sometimes grown as shade trees in villages where the plants are native. Timber sometimes used in construction. T. P. Hilditch and P. N. Williams indicate that the seed fat contains 61% alpha-licanic acid and 17% alpha-elaeostearic acids. Licanic acid is unique among natural fatty acids in containing a ketonic group. According to Vaughan, the oil most closely resembles tung oil in chemical and physical properties. Tropical oilseeds have higher percentages of saturated fatty acids, compared to their temperate counterparts. Oiticica trees thrive on dry tropical lowlands where there is a dry season from July to December.
