This species is not universally accepted. Commencing with 'Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas' Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R. Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey. 1995, some treatments have seen this species as a subspecies of Astrocaryum murumuru, as Astrocaryum murumuru urostachys (Burret) A.J.Hend.[].

Common Name:

General Information

Astrocaryum urostachys is a multi-stemmed, evergreen palm with unbranched, very spiny stems growing up to 10 metres tall and 18cm in diameter. Each stem is topped with a crown of 6 - 15, horizontally spreading leaves that can be up to 8.5 metres long including the petiole[, ].
The plant is sometimes gathered from the wild for local use as a food.
A widely distributed species found only in Ecuador, habitat destruction currently only poses a minor threat. The plant is classified as 'Least Concern' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Peru, Ecuador, Colombia.

Habitat

An understorey plant in lowland rainforest, usually along rivers and in other areas that are subject to seasonal inundation[, ].

Properties

Conservation Status	Least Concern
Edibility Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	6.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Not known

Edible Uses

The palm heart (the inner core and growing bud of the plant) is harvested[]. 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[].

Fruit. The fleshy mesocarp is more or less sweet and edible[1869. The brown, turbinate fruit is 70 - 80mm long and 30mm wide, enclosing a single, large seed[].
The liquid endosperm (developing seed) of the unripe fruits is drunk[, ].

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[].

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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