Syngonanthus nitens is the Latin name for Capim dourado, the golden grass of Brazil. This plant is the basis of a typical craft from the region of Jalapão, in the state of Tocantins. The only region in the world where it grows. Its particularity is to shine like gold when its stems reach maturity.
It therefore finds its place in this blog because it combines plants and gold!
In 2007, the state of Tocantins created a law regulating the cultivation of Capim Dourado. The harvest can only be done from September 20 to November 20, when the plant is ripe, and only by artisans registered in an association. The flowers (inside which the seeds are) should be left in place to allow the natural renewal and life cycle of the plant. It can only leave the state after transformation by the artisans of the region into handicrafts. It was initially worked by the natives of the Xerente ethnic group, who transmitted this know-how to the families of the city of Mumbuca in the 1930s. Since the end of the 1990s, the craft industry in Capim Dourado has become known throughout Brazil and, in recent years, beyond its borders by various artisans who offer handbags, bracelets, jars, earrings, hats, etc.
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