Common Name: Jauari

General Information

Jauari is a spiny, clump-forming evergreen palm tree, usually with 4 - 6 or more unbranched stems that can be 5 - 15 metres tall. The stems can be 9 - 30cm in diameter and are topped by a crown of 6 - 15, stiffly erect leaves that can each be 4 - 5 metres long[, ].
The tree is extensively used by local people, providing food, materials for house building, weaving etc, as well as an oil from the seed[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas.

Habitat

Flooded river margins and floodplains of the Amazonian rainforest, where the plants can be submerged for up to 300 days per year[]. It often forms large colonies[].

Properties

Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	15.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the moist, lowland tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 230 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 24 - 28°c, but can tolerate 20 - 32°c[]. It can be killed by temperatures of 8°c or lower[]. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,800 - 2,300mm, but tolerates 1,500 - 2,600mm[].
Requires a shady, moist position that can be inundated for much of the year[]. In the wild, it can only compete successfully in seasonally flooded forests, where it has been found in areas flooded from 30 - 240 days per year[]. Prefers a pH in the range 4.5 - 5.5, tolerating 3.2 - 7[].
Young plants are tolerant of being submerged for up to 300 days per year[].
Fruiting occurs at the height of the wet season and the seeds are spread by fish (who eat the fruit)[]. Thus inundation may improve germination[].

Edible Uses

There is a commercial palm heart canning business on the River Negro in Brazil where this species is extremely abundant[]. This report does not specifically say that the apical buds (palm hearts) of this species are used for food, but does strongly imply that they are[].

An oil is obtained from the kernels[]. This report does not say that the oil is edible but, in general, any oils extracted from palm species are unlikely not to be edible[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

An oil is obtained from the kernels[].

The leaves and leaf stems are woven into a range of items such as baskets[, ].

The seeds are used for making necklaces[].

The trunks of the trees are used locally for making houses[].

Propagation

Seed -

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