Euterpe oleracea
Mart.
Acai palm, Assai palm
(c) Augusto Alves, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Augusto Alves
(c) Jason J. Dombroskie, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
(c) Fernando, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)
What to Eat
Edible parts: Cabbage, Fruit, Oil, Palm heart
The purplish-black fruit, around 15–25mm in diameter and borne in clusters of up to 1,000, has a thin, fibrous, fleshy pulp with little flavour on its own but is highly nutritious and rich in antioxidants. It is commonly processed into a drink popular in the Brazilian Amazon: the fruit is soaked in water to soften the outer shell, then squeezed and strained to produce a dense purple liquid served ice cold, with or without sugar and tapioca flour. This juice is also used to make ice cream, liquor, mousses, and other sweets, and is added to tapioca, cassava, and porridge. The unexpanded leaves and crown bud are eaten cooked — crunchy and sweet-flavoured, said to resemble artichokes. Harvesting the bud eventually kills that stem, though the plant can regrow from its base. An edible oil is also obtained from the seed.
Where to Find It
A tropical plant. It grows best in deep, rich soils. It can tolerate poor drainage. It often grows in swamps. It can grow in subtropical and tropical regions. It grows in areas with an annual average temperature of 26°C. The rainfall is 2750 mm per year. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In XTBG Yunnan.
Amazon, Asia, Australia, Brazil*, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Hawaii, Indonesia, Pacific, Panama, Peru, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela,
How to Identify
A solitary palm. It has a tall slender trunk. The trunk can be 25 m tall and 18 cm across. It can form clusters of up to 12 palms. The suckers develop at a late stage and can be suppressed while the main stalk develops. There are 8-12 leaves in each crown. The leaves are finely divided. The leaflets are about 1 m long. The leaflets droop. There are several flowering stalks. These are produced below the crown-shaft. The fruit are purplish-black. They are 1.5 cm across.
How to Grow
A plant of the moist to wet tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 3,000 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 22 - 28°c, but can tolerate 16 - 32°c. It can be killed by temperatures of 5°c or lower. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 1,800 - 2,300mm, but tolerates 1,200 - 3,000mm. Prefers a position sheltered from the sun with plenty of moisture. Mature plants should be able to tolerate full sun, so long as there is plenty of humidity. Prefers a rich, moist, well-drained soil. Prefers a pH in the range 5 - 5.5, tolerating 4.5 - 6.5. A moderately robust species, it usually produces multiple stems (up to 12 stems) though sometimes it only has one stem with a few suppressed suckers at the base. A fast-growing plant. Plants usually flower throughout the year but the fruit harvesting season is for only 6 months of the year.
Propagation: Seed viability is short — less than three months — so sow as soon as ripe in a partially shaded nursery seedbed. Pre-soak in cold water for 24 hours before sowing. Germination rates of around 80% or more can be expected, with sprouting occurring within 30–70 days. The seed germinates rapidly and grows quickly.
Medicinal Uses
A cold water infusion of the wood in the stem is used as an external wash for contraceptive purposes. The sap is styptic and is used to treat haemorrhages, scorpion bites, wounds, and cuts. A decoction of the leaves treats fevers, and an infusion of whole seedlings is used for shot wounds from hunting. The central bud, or heart, is roasted and applied topically to relieve scorpion sting pain; the juice from the roasted bud should be drunk at the same time. Overeating the heart or pith causes diarrhoea. The heart is also dried, pulverised, and used in a plaster to cicatrize open cuts, and the liquid extracted from the warmed heart is patted onto open wounds. The oil from the fruit treats diarrhoea. A tea from the roots is used to treat jaundice and strengthen the blood, while a tea from the seeds is used against fevers. Phenols occur in the heart of palm.
Other Uses
The leaves are used for weaving mats and similar items. The wood is moderately heavy, soft, splits easily, and has low durability when exposed to the elements. It is used locally for rustic buildings, rafters, and laths.
Wikipedia
Source ↗An evergreen tree reaching 25 m tall by 5 m wide with fast growth rate. Hardy to UK zone 10. Accommodates light sandy, medium loamy, and heavy clay soils with good drainage. Grows in semi-shade or full sun and prefers moist conditions. Suitable for mildly acid, neutral, and very acid soils.
Other Information
It is an important food in some areas in South America. The palm hearts are canned and the fruit used for acai wine.
Notes
There are between 7 and 18 Euterpe species. It possibly had benefits for obese people.
Names & Synonyms
Acai-do-para, Anare, Asai, Ceara, Huasai, Jucara, Manaka, Manicole, Naidi, Palem euterpe, Palmiche, Palmiteiro, Palmito acai, Para palm, Paraipaba, Pina palm, Pina, Pinot, Podo siri, Prasara, Ucai, Wasei
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