Common Name: Brejava Palm

General Information

Astrocaryum aculeatissimum is a moderately sized, usually clustering, palm. It has slender, spiny, unbranched stems 4 - 8 metres long, crowned by a rosette of slightly arching, flat leaves that are greyish below[, ]. The stems are covered by rings of very sharp spines, believed by some biologists to have evolved as protection against the extinct Megatherium Giant Ground Sloth[].
The plant is harvested from the wild for maily local use as a food, medicine and source of various materials.
The species is able to survive forest clearance, but reappears in a shorter shrubbier form, which is doubtfully capable of reproduction. It has been classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - eastern and southern Brazil.

Habitat

An understorey tree of dense coastal tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forest, in areas not subject to inundation, on sandy, acidic, and nutrient-poor soils[, ]. Found at elevations up to 1,000 metres[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	8.00 m
Pollinators	Bees, Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

The species is adapted to very well-drained and nutrient-poor conditions[].

Edible Uses

The liquid endosperm of the unripe fruits is probably drunk[].
Immature fruits, while still green green, contains around 10 grammes of a drinkable liquid, known by the name of 'ayri water'[]

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

The palm heart (the inner core and growing bud of the plant) is harvested from various species in this genus[]. It provides a crispy food, rich in nutrients, that can be eaten raw or cooked. Harvesting the heart will lead to the death of the stem it was harvested from, though in multi-stemmed plants such as this the rest of the plant will continue to grow and often produce new stems.

Medicinal

The plant is used extensively locally for medicinal purposes[].

The fruit is used in the treatment of the bacterial skin disease erysipelas[].

The liquid endosperm of the unripe seed, known as 'agua de airi' is laxative[]. It is considered to be useful in the treatment of jaundice[, ].
The plant has a green fruit that holds 10 grams of a potable liquid which has medicinal properties[]. It is used as a laxative and as a treatment against jaundice[].
When the fruit is ripe, the liquid is transformed into a fleshy, bitter-tasting mass which contains 18% of the oil known as 'oleo de ayry.' When the substance is dried, it is reputedly used as a 'taenifuge' to kill internal parasites[, ].

An oil obtained from the mature seed is vermifuge[].

Other Uses

Sewing needles can be made from the spines on the trunk[].

The fibre obtained from the leaves are used for making brooms and coarse articles, and the leaves are also used for making hats[, , , ].

The ashes obtained from buring the plant are rich in phosphates and potassium salts. They can be used on a garden scale as a fertilizer[].

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

The wood is used in house construction and for making archery bows and arrows[, ].
Both the wood and the spines are very hard and durable. Very attractive, the wood is used for turnery, inlay work and, especially for making walking sticks[].

Propagation

Seed -

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