Phytelephas tenuicaulis
(Barfod) A. J. Hend.
Slender ivory palm
(c) Damon Tighe, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Damon Tighe
(c) Pete Woodall, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Fruit, Seed, Palm heart
The fruit, seeds, and palm heart are all edible.
Where to Find It
It is a tropical plant. They grow in the lowlands on river plains.
Amazon, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America,
How to Identify
A palm. It usually grows in clusters of up to 8. They are 7 m tall and 8-10 cm across the stem. The leaves are 2-5 m long with 35-75 leaflets on each side. They are opposite and arranged in one plane. The fruiting heads are 15-40 cm wide with about 10 fruit. These are 6-9 cm long. There are about 5 seeds in each fruit.
Wikipedia
Source ↗Phytelephas tenuicaulis is a species of palm in the genus Phytelephas. The compound leaves are around 7 meters in length, with stem diameters of 10 cm. Brown, ovulate fruits of about 6 cm are produced. Palms of the Phytelephas genus are also referred to as vegetable ivory palms.
Names & Synonyms
Chinche, Guisedue, Sehua, Shipati, Umakawe, Yarina
References (5)
- Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 496
- 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.
- Torre, de la L., et al, 2008, Enciclopedia de las Plantas Útiles del Ecuador. Herbario QCA. Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p 207
- World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
