Brazil nuts are the largest of the commonly consumed nuts. They resemble, but are only distantly related to, the American chestnut. Everything about these nuts is big: from the tree on which it grows in the world?s largest rainforest, to the huge fruit in which this large nut appears. The massive tree that produces this nut can reach a height of 150 feet, towering over the dense foliage of the Amazon River basin. Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela and the Guianas, as well as Brazil, are home to this tree, which is propagated entirely by the chance sowing of the seeds, usually by animals. Thus, unlike domesticated walnuts, pecans and other nuts, Brazil nuts grow wild.