Common Name:

General Information

Astrocaryum scopatum is a spiny, evergreen, multistemmed palm with very short, unbranched stems that, with age, can reach 2 metres tall and 15cm in diameter. Each stem is topped with a crown of 8 - 12 leaves that can be up to 6.5 metres long including the petiole[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - northern Peru

Habitat

Periodically flooded, alluvial soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The liquid endocarp of the unripe fruit is drunk[]. The dark brown, turbinate fruit is 67 - 71mm long and up to 45mm wide with a thin layer of flesh covering a single, large seed[].

We have no specific information for this species, but the fruits and seeds of various species are reported to be used for oil production in the Amazon region. Existing analyses of fruit fat content show a relatively homogeneous composition among species, with around 20% of fat content in the mesocarp, mostly composed of oleic and palmitic acids, and 20-35% of fat content in the endosperm, with a predominance of lauric acid[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The hard endocarp of various Amazonian species is commonly used to make beads and ornaments for necklaces[]

Propagation

Seed -

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