Common Name: Huicungo

General Information

Astrocaryum carnosum is a spiny, multi-stemmed evergreen palm with short or underground stems that in time can reach a height of 2 metres and 18cm in diameter. Each stem has a crown of 8 - 12 large leaves that can be up to 7 metres tall including the petiole[]
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Astrocaryum carnosum has a restricted range, being known only from a few locations in the upper Huallaga Valley in Peru. The habitat in which this species resides is being threatened and lost by deforestation for agriculture. However, the species is very resilient to habitat transformation because of its clustering habit and underground suckering.The plant is classified as 'Vulnerable' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2013)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - central Peru

Habitat

Seasonal swamp forest and forests on alluvial soils, usually dominating the understorey in combination with other palm species[].

Properties

Conservation Status	Vulnerable
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Shrub
Height	5.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Astrocaryum carnosum is native to the moist tropics, growing in a region where the mean annual rainfall is around 3,000mm with a peak from December to March and a dry period from June to August. The average annual temperature is 26°c[].

Edible Uses

Fruit - raw[]. The fleshy mesocarp is more or less sweet and edible[]. The brown, turbinate fruit is around 66 - 74mm long and 35 - 42mm wide with a fleshy, orange mesocarp around 4mm thick enclosing a single, large seed[].
The liquid endosperm of the unripe fruit is drunk[, ].

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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