Common Name: Vegetable Ivory

General Information

Vegetable ivory is usually a single-stemmed, evergreen palm growing up to 3 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be subterranean or short and sometimes creeping up to 2 metres long; it can be 30cm in diameter and topped by 12 - 20 leaves[, , ].
The plant is used in various ways locally as a food. The hard seed is a form of vegetable ivory, which is used in craftwork. The seeds of this and various other species of vegetable ivory palms are commonly gathered from the wild and exported in large quantities from Panama and South America, to be used as a substitute for ivory - a great variety of articles being fashioned from them[].

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru.

Habitat

Rainforest[]. Lowland rainforests on alluvial soil[, ].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	3.00 m
Self-fertile	No
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

A plant from the warm tropics, though it can tolerate occasional short-lived temperatures down to around freezing[].
Prefers a moist soil and a warm, sheltered position[].
A slow-growing plant, it can take from 7 - 25 years from a young seedling before it starts to produce fruit[].
The flowers are heavily scented[].
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required[].

Edible Uses

The apical bud is cooked and eaten as a vegetable[]. Eating this bud will lead to the death of the tree since it is unable to form side branches[].

The seed tissue of the immature fruit is liquid - it is used as a refreshing drink[, ]. A sweet flavour[].

Young fruits[].

The fruit has been used as a coffee substitute[].

Medicinal

None known

Other Uses

The seed is about the size of a hen's egg[]. As it matures it becomes immensely hard and closely resembles ivory[]. It is used for making buttons, chess pieces and ornamental articles of various kinds[, ].

The leaves are sometimes employed in the manufacture of articles of domestic economy[]. (Probably woven into mats etc[].) The leaves are used for making baskets[].
The leaves are used as a thatch material for native huts[].

A fibre obtained from the plant is used for brooms, torches, fire starters or blowgun bore-cleaners[].

Propagation

Seed - it can take 3 - 4 years to germinate[].

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