Phytelephas seemannii
O. F. Cook
Tagua, Seemann ivory palm
(c) aulax, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by aulax
(c) Daniel Mesa, some rights reserved (CC BY)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Palm hearts, Seeds
The seeds are traded at a regional international level as vegetable ivory, which is also called tagua. This commercial use is a threat to the species, but progress is being made on using more sustainable practices and conservation. As the tree typically grows only 1 metre (3 ft 3 in) tall, it fortunately was not chopped down to harvest the seeds as was done with Phytelephas aequatorialis at the peak of tagua harvesting. The jelly-like liquid in the immature seeds, which later turns into the vegetable ivory, is edible. Occasionally in the marketplaces of Guna Yala the thin crust surrounding the ivory is sold as food. In Colombia the fronds are sometimes used for thatch.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. They grow in lowland rainforest. They grow on alluvial soils under forest shade. They grow below 200 m altitude.
Central America, Colombia, Panama, South America,
How to Identify
A palm. The stems occur singly and are creeping. They form roots on the lower surface. The older section of the stems can die. It grows 4 m tall. The trunk is 30 cm across. It has many close leaf scars. There are 25-35 leaves. The leaves are 7 m long. There are 90 leaflets along each side. They are arranged regularly and are in one plane. The male flowers do not have stalks. The fruiting heads are 30 cm across. There are 5-9 fruit. There are 5-7 seeds per fruit.
How to Grow
A dioecious species, both male and female forms need to be grown if fruit and seed are required.
Other Uses
The seeds are filled at first with a watery liquid, but this later becomes milky and finally almost as hard as ivory. The very hard seeds are a source of vegetable ivory, used for making buttons and a wide range of craft items. The leaves are used sometimes for thatching.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Phytelephas seemannii, commonly called Panama ivory palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is one of the plants used for vegetable ivory.
Names & Synonyms
Anta, Tagwa
References (7)
- Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 50
- Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 237
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 496
- Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 653
- Marcia, M. J., et al, 2011, Palm Uses in Northwestern South America: A Quantitative Review. Bot. Rev. (2011) 77:462-570
- Roa, J. A. G. & Boada, D. S. G., 2018, Fundación para el Fortalecimiento de la Fruticultura y Plantas Alimenticias no Convencionales en Colombia.
- U.S.D.A. Bur. Pl. Industr. Bull. 242:68. 1912
