Lecythis ollaria is a species of tree found growing in forests in Brazil, Guyana, and Venezuela.

It is in the same family (Lecythidaceae) as the Brazil nut tree (Bertholletia excelsa) and has a similar fruit.

This is a large woody capsule up to twelve inches (thirty cm) in diameter and very heavy,[2] with a lid which bursts open when the seeds are ripe.

Monkeys are said to put their hands inside the capsule in order to extract the seeds which have a fleshy interior rich in oil and a woody outer casing.

[3] When two previously healthy women in South America developed unexplained nausea, vomiting and neurological symptoms, followed two weeks later by heavy hair loss, no cause could at first be found.