We are following the concept of this species in the 'World Checklist of Selected Plant Families' which recognizes it as a true species found in the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico; in this view it is seen as distinct from Aiphanes minima (Gaertn,) Burret, a very similar species found in the eastern Caribbean[].

Common Name:

General Information

Aiphanes acanthophylla is an intensely spiny, single-stemmed, evergreen palm growing up to 12 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 10 - 20cm in diameter; it has a mass of spiny prop roots at the base; is covered in numerous slender flattened black spines or prickles 1 - 4cm long; and is topped by a crown of around 10 - 12 leaves up to 3.5 metres long[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Caribbean - Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico.

Habitat

Moist limestone forests[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	7.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Fruits are produced in great quantities, several on the lower part of each branch of the axis. They are slightly broader than long, whitish green when immature, turning to shiny bright red[].
Plants can flower and produce fruit probably throughout the year[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw. The thin orange flesh is mealy and tasteless[].

The single brown seed is rounded, about 11mm in diameter, its surface much pitted. Inside the hard shell is a white, edible, oily, nutmeat, suggesting coconut in taste though much smaller[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

None known

Propagation

Seed -

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