Common Name:

General Information

Prestoea acuminata is an evergreen palm growing 3 - 15 metres tall. The plant sometimes produces just one stem, though at other times a cluster of stems are produced; these unbranched stems can be 4 - 20cm in diameter; they are topped by a crown of 4 - 10 leaves that can be up to 2.6 metres long. Prop roots covered with tubercles often are present at the base[, ].
The leaf buds are commonly harvested as a food crop, both for local use and for export[]. The plant is also a source of wood material for thatching. Where growing wild, the plant serves a useful purpose of maintaining the watershed and protecting the soil from erosion.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

S. America - Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela; C. America - Panama, Costa Rica, Nicaragua; Caribbean - Trinidad to Cuba.

Habitat

Premontane and montane areas on steep slopes at elevations from 1,000 - 2,000 metres[]. Palm forests along upland streams on steep slopes and ridges[].

Properties

Edibility Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Evergreen Tree
Height	10.00 m
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Usually prefers some shade unless the humidity is very high[]. Likes a rich, very well drained soil[].
Plants can flower and produce fruit nearly all year round[].

Edible Uses

Leaves - cooked[, ]. The apical bud, often known as a 'palm heart', is eaten as a vegetable[, ]. The edible portion consists of the young inner leaf sheaths, which form a white cylinder 30 - 90cm long and 7 - 10cm in diameter. These white leaf bases, although tender, are almost tasteless as a salad unless seasoned. Except as a novelty for tourists, the palm bud is doubtfully preferable to cabbage[].
Eating this bud leads to the death of the individual stem since it is unable to form side shoots. However, where the plant forms a cluster of stems, it will often produce new stems to replace those that have been killed[].

Medicinal

None known

Agroforestry Uses:

In general, these palms of the steep mountain slopes are beneficial in maintaining protective cover for the watershed and in preventing soil erosion[].

Other Uses

The leaves are used for thatching[, ].

The stem is mainly pithy, with an outer ring of hard, durable wood. This outer stemwood is sometimes hewn into narrow boards for sheathing rural buildings[].

Propagation

Seed -

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