Common Name:

General Information

Astrocaryum javarense is a spiny, single-stemmed, evergreen palm with a very short stem that in time can reach a height of 2 metres and 15 - 18cm in diameter. The stem is topped by a crown of 8 - 16 very spiny leaves that can be up to 8 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

Northern S. America - northwest Brazil, northern Peru

Habitat

Rainforests in areas not not subject to inundation, growing on both sandy and clayey soils. It is also found in lower densities on waterlogged soils[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The liquid endosperm of the unripe fruit is drunk[]. The brown, turbinate to obovoid fruit is 35 - 67mm long and 22 - 30mm wide with a dry mesocarp surrounding 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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