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Useful Tropical Plants

Mauritiella armata

(Mart.) Burret

Arecaceae

+ Synonyms

Lepidococcus armatus (Mart.) H.Wendl. & Drude

Lepidococcus duckei (Burret) A.D.Hawkes

Lepidococcus huebneri (Burret) A.D.Hawkes

Lepidococcus intermedius (Burret) A.D.Hawkes

Lepidococcus martianus (Spruce) A.D.Hawkes

Lepidococcus peruvianus (Becc.) A.D.Hawkes

Mauritia aculeata Mart.

Mauritia armata Mart.

Mauritia campylostachys (Burret) Balick

Mauritia duckei (Burret) Balick

Mauritia huebneri Burret

Mauritia intermedia Burret

Mauritia macrospadix (Burret) Balick

Mauritia martiana Spruce

Mauritia nannostachys (Burret) Balick

Mauritia peruviana Becc.

Mauritiella campylostachys Burret

Mauritiella duckei Burret

Mauritiella huebneri (Burret) Burret

Mauritiella intermedia (Burret) Burret

Mauritiella macrospadix Burret

Mauritiella martiana (Spruce) Burret

Mauritiella nannostachys Burret

Mauritiella peruviana (Becc.) Burret

Oenocarpus dealbatus H.Wendl.

Common Name:

Mauritiella armata
Plants growing in native habitat
Photograph by: João Medeiros
Creative Commons License
Mauritiella armata Mauritiella armata Mauritiella armata Mauritiella armata

General Information

Mauritiella armata is an evergreen palm tree producing a clump of stems growing from 2 - 20 metres tall. The several, unbranched boles growing from the base are around 20cm in diameter and armed with spines; they are topped by a crown of 4 - 10 leaves[
314
Title
Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
,
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
,
768
Title
Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
Publication
 
Author
Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.
Publisher
Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-691-08537-4
Description
An excellent book, giving basic information on all the 550 species of palms native to the Americas that were known in 1995. Comprehensive information on the plants range and habitat, brief description, some uses and almost 250 photos.
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for its fruit, which is used to make a popular drink. The hard seeds of the plant are used to make buttons and the wood is also useful. The plant is also cultivated, especially in Brazil.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

768
Title
Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
Publication
 
Author
Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.
Publisher
Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-691-08537-4
Description
An excellent book, giving basic information on all the 550 species of palms native to the Americas that were known in 1995. Comprehensive information on the plants range and habitat, brief description, some uses and almost 250 photos.

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas.

Habitat

Quite widely distributed, found in rainforests from the lowlands of the Amazon River, up to the cool Guyana Highlands at 1,400 metres[
314
Title
Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
]. Lowland forest on non-flooded sites, also on poorly drained sandy soils, river margins to 1,500 metres[
412
Title
Illustrated Guide to the Trees of Peru
Publication
 
Author
Pennington, T.D.; Reynel, C. & Daza, A.
Publisher
David Hunt; Sherbourne, England.
Year
2004
ISBN
0 9538134 3 6
Description
A very terse guide to the trees of Peru, managing to give basic guides to a large number of genera, with more detail on a few species in each genus.
].

Properties

Edibility Rating *  *
Other Uses Rating *  *  *
HabitEvergreen Tree
Height15.00 m
Cultivation StatusCultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details


Prefers a position in full sun and a moist soil that does not dry out[
314
Title
Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
].
Once established, this species is a very vigorous grower[
314
Title
Palm and Cycad Societies of Australia.
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://www.pacsoa.org.au/
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Contains at least a little information on the majority of palm and cycad species, plus a wealth of photographs. A first class website.
].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[
768
Title
Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
Publication
 
Author
Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.
Publisher
Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey.
Year
1995
ISBN
0-691-08537-4
Description
An excellent book, giving basic information on all the 550 species of palms native to the Americas that were known in 1995. Comprehensive information on the plants range and habitat, brief description, some uses and almost 250 photos.
].

Edible Uses

Fruits - raw[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

A drink is prepared from the mesocarp of the fruits[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
]. It is drunk with cassava meal and sugar[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
]. Some people believe that the flavour of this drink is superior to the very popular drink 'Miriti', obtained from Martinia flexuosa[
301
Title
Cornucopia II
Publication
 
Author
Facciola. S.
Publisher
Kampong Publications, California.
Year
1998
ISBN
0-9628087-2-5
Description
The second edition of an excellent guide to the edible uses of plants, though it does not give any details of cultivation etc.
].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The petioles of the leaves serve as bottle tops[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

The seed is a vegetable ivory as hard as that obtained from Phytelephas macrocarpa. As the fruit is very small the buttons made are also much smaller than can be made from other vegetable ivories[
665
Title
Inventory of Seeds and Plants Imported. No. 60
Publication
USDA Bureau of Plant Industry.
Author
 
Website
http://www.biodiversitylibrary.org
Publisher
USDA Government Printing Office; Washington DC.
Year
1919
ISBN
 
Description
Details of seeds and plants imported for trials by the United States Department of Agriculture in the third quarter of 1919, often detailing the uses of the plant and various other miscellaneous information. It can be downloaded from the Internet.
]

The wood is used for making bows[
317
Title
Mansfeld's Database of Agricultural and Horticultural Plants
Publication
 
Author
 
Website
http://mansfeld.ipk-gatersleben.de/pls/htmldb_pgrc/f?p=185:3:4292127278597336
Publisher
 
Year
0
ISBN
 
Description
Terse details of a huge range of useful plants.
].

Propagation

Seed -
Cite as: Tropical Plants Database, Ken Fern. tropical.theferns.info. 2024-10-13. <tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Mauritiella+armata>

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