Common Name: Ubussu

General Information

Ubussu is a large evergreen, unarmed, single stemmed palm growing from 0.5 - 10 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 15 - 20cm in diameter; it is covered with old dead leaves and debris; and is topped by a rosette of huge simple, or partially pinnate leaves up to about 8 metres long, and which are erect, or shuttle-cock like[, , ].
The tree yields leaves that are very highly valued for use as a thatch. Native people will often travel many miles in order to obtain a source of them with which to thatch their home. The plant is occasionally cultivated, and also semi-cultivated, for its leaves and various other useful purposes[, ].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; north to Trinidad; and through Central America to Guatemala.

Habitat

Swampy areas[]. Lowland forest, generally in flooded areas and usually near the sea, though occasionally extending further inland and ascending to 1,200 metres[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Semi-cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant of the lowland, moist tropics. It cannot tolerate any frost[].

Edible Uses

An edible oil is obtained from the seeds[].

The liquid endosperm of unripe fruits is drunk[, ]. The fruit is 4 - 6cm in diameter[].

Sago is obtained from the starchy stems[, ].

Medicinal

Several parts of the palm, including the apical bud, serve medicinal purposes[, ].

A decoction of the root, combined with bamboo leaves and a decoction of Euterpe precatoria roots, is used to treat asthma and coughs[].

The liquid from immature, green fruits is employed as a diuretic, and remedy for coughs, asthma and thrush[]. It is also used to treat diarrhoea[].

Other Uses

The leaves are utilized as thatch and sails[]. This species produces the largest entire leaves of any known palm, and for this reason, as well as on account of their firm and rigid texture, they form the very best and most durable thatch[, ]. The leaves are split down the midrib and the halves laid obliquely on the rafters, so that the furrows formed by the veins lie in a nearly vertical direction and serve as so many little gutters to carry off the water more rapidly[]. A well-made thatch will last ten or twelve years, and an indigenous person will often take a week's voyage in order to get a canoe-load of the leaves to cover his house[].

The fibres, obtained from the peduncular bracts of the inflorescences, are used for making caps, bags and mats[, , ].

Propagation

Seed -

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