r9771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS 9l Edible Palm Fruits of the Braztlian Amazoll*

Paur,o B. Clvl:,cawrp Museu Goeldi, Bel6m, Pard, Brasil

Translater],lrom the P ortuguese,by Dennrs JoHlrson Uniuersityol Houston,Houston, Texas 77004

PATMAE The palm generally produces 10-12 fruit clusters which remain partially Acrocomia sclerocarpa Mart. hidden among the lower, dead leaves. [Acrocomia sp.]"" MUCAJA The fruit is a drupe, spherical, single- .bacairtaa, coco-bo'boio, coco- seeded"'andabout 4 cm in diameter.The d,e-catarro,maca'iba,, fiLa,catibd. epicarp is coriaceous,rigid, and light- 'lhis green in color; the mesocarp (the edible speciesis common to nearly all pulp) is whitish in color, fibrous, and to of ; however,it doesnot appear mucilaginous; the endocarpis of a rock- reachthe State'o{Amazonas. It is one of like consistency, enclosing a small, palms the most common in the vicinity white kernel or seed, which contains a grow- of the city of Bel6m, and is found clear edible oil recommended for the - ing singly and spontaneously in open manufacture of soap. The palm fruits second growth. sites or in areas o{ low {rom July to November, and into De- Mature palmqreach a height of 15-20 cember. m, and bear some spine3 on the trunk. Leaves form a rounded, fairly regular- tucuma Mart, shaped crown and dead leaves remain TUCUMA attached to the trunk for some time. ttt'curn, tucutnd,-agu When tbe leaves do abscise, the lea{ sheaths remain attached and commonly This palm is found in the states o{ covei the upper half of the trunk. This ParS and Amazonas, but with greater habit constitutes one of the distinctive frequency in the latter. It occurs in open characteristics of the species. sites, or in the midst of low second growth. The single, straight trunk reaches B-I4 m in height, and is * This translation represents the section on palms in the author's longer work entitled adorned with long, black spines, Frutas Comestiaeis da Amaz6nia /1, Mirseu arranged in rings, that are denser in the Goeldi, Bel6m, Par6, Brasil, 1974. upper half of the trunk. Leaves have i+ Editor's note, Some ol the names used sturdy, enlarged sheaths and are densely those usually accepted today. differ from Fruit clusters are long and Owing to a nomenclatural technicality, the aculeate. name Acrocomia sclerocarpa is synonymous cylindrical, measuring about I.5 m in with l. aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart., a length. The {ruit is a drupe, ellipsoidal West Indian species, and the correct name lor or rounded, yellow-green or orange in is not yet clear. The the Brazilian species length, and weighs 70- preferred name is included in brackets when color, 5-6 cm in di{ferent Irom that given by the author. 75 e. The pulp is yellow in color, oily, 92 PRINCIPES [Vor. 2l

?-B mm in thickness, and with a flavor nutritive value for the following rea- similar to that of an apricot (Prunus SONS: armeniaca). The tree is in fruit from a. Its Vitamin A value is February to May. 52,000 international units Per I00 g, a value equalled onlY bY the Mart. pulp of the buriti palm (Mawritia TUCUMA uinifera). It has 90 times more Vitamin A than the pulp of the avo- This is the most common of the Palms cado, and three times that o{ the that are popularly called tucumd. in carrot, a vegetable that until re- Par5, and its range also extends to the cently was consideredto be the best Northeast Region of Brazil. The fruits sourceo{ the vitamin. of this palm are commonly confused b. Its Vitamin 81 (thiamine) with those oI A. tucuma, but there are value is important, and its Vitamin perceptible dif{erencesbetween the two C (ascorbic acid) content rirals species. Astrocaryurn tucurna is a soli- that of citrus fruit. tary palm with an erect trunk and large c. The food value o{ the edible f.ruit: A. uulgare is a cluster palm and pulp is significantly higher than {orms clumps of several thin trunks that fresh fruits in general, 247 calories are somewhatcurved in their lower por- per 100 g, due to the Presenceof tions. The lower trunk does not have Lg.I% glycosides, 16.6% liPoids, black spines, and the fruits are much and35% proteides. smallerthan in the other species.Leaves are up to 7 m in length and always erect. Elaeis melanococca Gaert. The spadix is up to 1.7 m in length. (HBK) Cort6s] The fruit o{ this speciesis commonly fElaeis oleifera (.Corozo (HBK) Bail.) {ound in the open-air markets o{ Bel6m oleilera in appreciahie quantities {rom January CAIAUE to July. The fruits are eaten fresh, or d,end6-do-pard used to make juice. Although this palm does not yield an The rachis of the leaf furnishes a edible fruit, in its natural state, it is strong fiber that can be utilized in nu- included in this listing because of its merous ways. In addition, the Palm importance as one o{ the typically Ama- yields an excellent , al- zonian oil palms. The height o{ the tree, though its extraction is made dii{icult at its maximum, is no taller than a man. by the quantity of spines on the upper While growing, the oldest part of the trunk. thick trunk assumesa procumbent posi' The largest consumersol tucumd' are tion and produces adventitious roots. people of the lower class who, without The oldest part o{ the trunk dies and realizing it, are getting an excellent decomposes,resulting in an almost im- supply of Vitamin A and other vitamins. perceptibleshi{t of the away from The nutritive value o{ the pulp was dem- the placewhere it rtas originally planted. onstrated by the chemical analysis For that reason, individuals who know made by Chaves and Pechnik (1947: the caiaue in its habitat, often say that t7): the first item of their conclusions 'owalks." the plant is quoted as follows: The low stature ol the dend'€-d,o-pard 1. The edible fruit oI the tucumd' facilitates the collection o{ fruits. That revealsitsel{ to be a food of estimable' characteristic has been experimented 19771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS 93

Itr ffi 3

l. Palm fruits: 1, Acrocomia sp.;2, Astrocaryum' tucumd;3, Maxitniliana martiana;4, Mauritia llexuoih; 5, distichus; 6, Jessenia bataua: 7' Mauritia mattiana. with in cross-breedingwith the African At times the palms are found in almost oil palm, which normally reaches 15-20 pure stands, representing, along with m in height, resulting in hybrids of low buriti, the most prominent feature of or medium stature. The fruit yields two the vegetation landscape. One of the characteristics o{ the spe- types of oil: the pulp produces a red- cies is its growth in clumps, which is the dish. edible oil. and the kernel contains result of basal suckering. The number re{ined, can be a white oil that, when o{ individual stems per clump varies utilized for the making of margarine. according to environmental conditions, and may reach 25, including the suckers. Mart. AEAI Euterpe oleracea The palm has a thin trunk, sometimes aga.i-ilo-pq,rd,,agai-d'o-baixo dm,&zonas slightly curved, which reaches, on the Agai is one of the most characteristic average,15-20 m in height. The crown palms of Par5, found in nearly the en- of pinnate leaves with pendulous seg- tire state. Its major occurrenceis in the ments gives the palm its delicate and Amazon estuary, on lands of the flood- elegant bearing. For that reason it is plains (udrzed,s),the backswamps(iga' not infrequently {ound in plazas and in p6s) and on the uplands (terras firmes). private gardens as an ornamental plant. PRINCIPES [Vor. 21 19771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS 95

The number of fruit clusters per plant essentially energetic food, with a caloric varies up to eight, with three or four value higher than that of milk and with being most common. Each cluster is al' a content of lipoids twice as high. It is ways at a different stage of development, not very rich in proteides, and -the per- {rom inflorescences still enclosed in the centage of glycosides is not very high. spathe to clusters with ripe fruit. The Nevertheless,agai, as it commonly con- fruit is a rounded berry, black-violet in sumedowith sugar and starch, may be color when ripe, and from 12-15 mm considered a rich food of high caloric in diameter. Fruiting occurs through- value. The content of minerals, calcium, out the year, with the dry season,July to phosphorous, and iron reveals benefit." December,being the period of greatest Dante Costa (1959: 51) conducted abundance. Fruits from the dry season biological experiments with rats, and are said to produce the best-tasting . showed the presence of Vitamin A in juice. Harvesting the fruit clusters is an agai. arduous and dilngerous task, done by A comprehensivestudy carried out by individuals accustomed to climbing the Calzavara (1972) addressesall aspects acai palms. When someone is atoP a of agai in the Amazon region, notably palm to harvest the fruit clusters, it is its economic importance, ecology, agri' possible to move from one stem to an- cultural aspects, and methods of culti- other without descending; in that way vation. As far as the chemical composi- all the ripe fruit clusters from a clump tion of the fruit is concerned,Calzavara can be harvested. givesthe resultsarrived at by more than Juice is prepared from the agai htuit, ten different researchers. by either manual or mechanical pro' Without any doubt, the agai pal:m cesses,and consumed in the following brings together exceptional qualities places primary position as ways: that it in a the ideal, highlv pro{itable palm for the exploitation of hearts of palm. One seed a. With Ntunio" meal or with alone, after a period of time, can pro- tapioca and sugar (the most general- duce a clump of up to 25 palms, count- ized use). ing mature, young, and suckeringplants. manioc meal and grilled b. With The mature palms, when they reach old or dried shrimp. {ish age and die, are gradually replaced by c. As a porridge (ming,au),cooked younger in a natural sequence. with manioc meal. Felling of individqdl adult palms for the d. As an ice cream or popsickle extraction o{ the heart o{ palm does not flavoring. imply, therefore, the destruction of the clump; to the contrary, it stimulates the The juice, called simply o'Qai' is a growth of other plants in the group. On basic complement to the diet of the the other hand, the spontaneous and lower classesand, in most cases,ceases abundant proliferation resulting from to be merely a complement, but con- fallen seed is another valuable character' stitutes the principal food, above all in istic of the agai palm that encourages first form listed above. its exploitation for the extraction o{ Chaves and Pechnik (1945: 6), in hearts of palm, without the risk of prob- discussing the nutritive value of agai, able extinction of the aqai srands, naI' said:'oThe interpretation of analytic urally assuming that rational methods data permits us to ascertain it to be an of exploitation are not ignored. PRINCIPES [Vor. 21

3. Palms and their fruits: A, B, Euterpe oleraceal C, D, ; E, Astrocaryum t ucumd- r9771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS 97 Guilielma gasipaes (HBK) Bailey The fruit is in the form of a druPe, [ gasipaes HBK] and variable in color and size. When (G. speciosa Mafi., Bactris speciosa ripe the epicarp may be red, yellow, or (Mar') Karst') other intermediary colors, or even com- PUPUNHA pletely green. As to its shaPe, it is The most common names in ovoid, conical-globose, or rounded, Central and generally having a flattened base. The are: cachipaY, chonta, mesocarp, the edible part, is generally chontad,uro, gachipaes, rne- yellow-orange in color, dense, starchy- canilla, and. peiibaye. succulent.-with a fat content higher in some varieties and almost absent in palm to the Ameri- A which is native others. Fruits are eaten, after being cultivated for cas, and has been widely cooked in'salted water, and they are peoples. According centuries by native widely consumed by people of the lower festively cele- to historians. the natives class. Besides their popular taste, the o{ the fruit. brated the harvest season fruits constitute a food high in Vitamin of the palm con- The country of origin A. The cooked fruits can be eaten with conjecture,pre- tinues to be a matter of coffee, with honey, or in the form of or certain sumed to be . Bolivia, sweets, juice, etc. A{ter harvest, and and Ecua- areas of Panama, , under normal conditions, the fruits will (1904: 476), the dor. To Huber keep for up to ten days before spoiling. in its cultivated pupwnha, known only Propagation of Ihe pupunha may be be a cross between two state, could only accomplished as easily with seed as with G. microcarpa and' G. distinct species: basal suckers. Seedpropagation has the The variation in size, color, insignis. disadvantagethat, many times because the pericarp, as well and consistency of of segregation, the desired character- or complete disappear- as the reduction istics are not reproduced and, further- entire plant. would anceof spinesogr the more, requires a longer period to begin of Huber's be the supportiirg elements producing fruit. With vegetative propa- it is rare to {ind hypothesis. Currently gation using basal suckers, the desired in the interior that a house in Bel6m or qualities selectedfor are guaranteed and planting of one does not have a small there is a reduction in the amount of of this palm. or more clumps time necessary before fruiting begins. a single palm, the Beginning with The pupunha, furthermore, furnishes an pupunha a clump of several indi- forms excellent heart of palm, and individual and, when mature, it is vidual stems trees can be exploited for it a{ter three to find three to {ive common Palms to four years. at the same time. The indi- {ruiting Appearance of the {ruits in the open- cylindrical trunk grows to a vidual air markets begins fairly regularly in 20 m, and has internodes cov- height of November, and continues until June. {ine, penetrating spines (ex- ered with The peak of the harvest is between in the unarmed varieties) . The pu- cept March and May. punha is a monoecious Palm with masculine and feminine flowers on the Jessenia bataua (Mart.) Burret same spadix, which is enclosedin a pef- (Oenocarpusbataua Mart. ) sistent, woody spathe that splits longi- PATAUA tudinally to release the spadix. The batawa () , sdctt- number of in{lorescences per plant tndna (Peru) , palma seie varies, and may reach as many as ten. (Venezuela) PRINCIPES lVor. 2l

4. Palms and their fruits: A, Elaeis oleiferu; B, C, Acrocomia sp.; D, E, Maximiliana mailiana. r9771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS 99

A palm of medium height, common in equatorial America, occurring in the the entire Amazon region. Its area of backswamps (isap6s), riverbanks, and major occurrenceis in the less-flooded along narrow channels (igarap6s), al' lands of the central-west portion of the most always in stands {orming the char- Island of Maraj6 (Aramri and Anajris). acteristic miriti groves. It is indisput- The fruit is an oblong berry, 25-33 ably the most beautiful palm of the mm long, with the epicarp a purple- Amazon. violet color, covered by a lisht bloom. The trunk is straight, cylindrical, 30- Juice is prepared from the pulp, using 60 cm in diam'eter,with a slight thicken- the same process followed ior agai; this ing about"hal{way up, and commonlY drink, mixed with manioc meal, should reaches 25 rn in height, rarely more. be used sparingly becauseof its high oil The palm has a crown of large, fan- content, shaped leaves, with pendulous ends o{ The importance of this palm rests, leaf segments.The palm is dioeciousor above all. in the oil extracted from the polygamous-dioecious,that is, there are {ruit pulp. Fruits are boiled in water individual plants with masculine {lowers to extract the oil, which can be used as and others with feminine and hermaph- a good substitute for olive oil in cook- rodite flowers. Inflorescencesare large, i.rg. As a result of chemical analyses 2.5_3 m in length, and ProtectedbY a obtained by various authors cited in spathe o{ the same length. The number Pesce (1941: 29), the following state- of inflorescences or fruit clusters varies ooBy ment is made: its chemical con- from five to eight per tree. A miriti stants, by its taste and odor when re- cultivated in the garden of the Museu fined, it closely approximates olive oil; Goeldi was observed to produce eight . . . In conclusion, pataud,oil can be con- fruit clusters at the same time. One o{ sidered an excellent edible oil." the clusters was cut and a total ol 724 Notwithstanding such significant fruits was counted, which gives a figure characteristics, pi6tawd,oil has practically of about 5,?00 fruits on that particular disappearedas a commercial product in tree. Bel6m, naturally for a simple reason. The fruits are globose or oblong, flat- The palm only exists in a wild state, tened. with an epicarp consisting of which results in irregular harvests, and shiny, leathery, red-brown, rhomboidal the collection of the fruits is di{ficult scales. The mesocarp (the edible part) and onerous,a condition which doesnot is a thin layer of oily, orange'colored exist with the cultivated crops furnish' pulp surrounding the more or less ing raw material for the extraction of spongy endocarp. The large globose other oils, such as peanut, soybean,co- seedhas a horny endospermsimilar to conutocorn, etc. the vegetable ivory palm (Phytelephas The fruits are regularly found in the m,acrocarpo) but not quite as hard. open-air markets, from October through Miriti iaice is made from fruits, but March, but only in small quantities. they must first be soakedfor some time in warm water to {acilitate removal of Mauritia flexuosa L. f. MIRITI the epicarp and to so{ten the pulp. An- buriti, buriti-d,o-brejo; moriche other methocl is to wrap the fruits in (Venezuela); palmier bd'che leaves for three to four days which, ac- () ; aguaie,achual cording to someindividuals, gives better (Peru) oosoftening" results. This is nothing A majestic palm found throughout more than a means o{ acceleratingthe 100 PRINCIPES [Vor. 21 ripening of the fruits, inasmuch as they depressionswhich have acid soils (Bon- fall from the tree before they are com- dar, 1964: 42); male inflorescence is pletely ripe. The drink is consumed in small, fruits ellipsoidal. the same way as agai' |uice, that is, with Miriti (M. llexuosa L. f..)-grows at sugar and manioc meal. Buriti sweer low altitudes, characteristically in the (d,ocede buriti), as it is best known, is backswamps(isap6s) or very wet areas; also prepared from the pulp and mar- male in{lorescence is larger, fruits keted in other statesof Brazil. Finally, generally globose but flattened, with it is also possible to obtain a reddish, smaller scales. transparent, edible oil from the pulp. In many cases,these di{{erencesare The miriti palm produces several little noticed by the layman and therein other useful products: the new leaves lies the confusion. yield a resistantfiber usedto make rope, and are also usedto wrap the traditional Mauritia martiana Spruce CARANA 'oropes" of tobacco. The petiole fur- carand,-i,buritirana, burutizinho nishes a light material used to make This palm is common in the Amazon corks for large bottles and other recep- estuary,generally found in open swampy tacles containing sugarcanebrandy for areas, quite characteristically in the shipment outside the region; the light backswamps (isap6s). It is cespitose, material also has considerable use in has a thin trunk covered with strong making handmadetoys seen principally spinesover its entire length, and reaches during .the festival of the Patron Saint up to 10 m in height. Leaves are cir- of Par5. From the pith of the trunk an cular, consisting o{ 30-50 linear-lanceo- edible starch can be obtained, which is late segments,with the margins adorned identical to sago starch. In addition, with small aculei. Fruits are ellipsoidal, the trunk can be tapped for its potable about 3 cm in length, with an ePicarP sap. made up of small, rhomboidal scales, Fruits ap$ear in the open-air markets, arranged in spirals, similar to M. flex- from January to July, sometimesbegin- uosa. A juice is preparedfrom the pulp ning in October, and other times in of the fruit nhich has,to somepeople" a November or December. better flavor than that of miriti. The In Bel6m, it is common to use the "so{tening" processof the fruit, as well terms miriti and. buriti for this palm, as the way it is consumed,is the same even though the names correspond to as Ior miriti. Fruiting is {rom January two distinct botanical species. The to June, but the fruits are not always {irst term is Amazonian and refers to found in the open-air markets. the palm Mauritia flexuosa. The term buriti is attributed to the species M. uinifera, {ound in the States of Bahia, Maximiliana regia Mart. INAJA Minas Gerais, Goi6s, Cear6, and Mato [Maxirniliana martiana Karst.] Grosso. Although the two species are This robust palm reaches10-lB m in quite similar, they differ in their indi- height and occupiesdry, sandy sites o{ vidual habitats and the morphological the uplands (terras finnes). It is most characteristics of their inflorescences common in the Amazon estuarY, and and fruits, in conformity with the fol- extends to the neighboring state of lowing: MaranhSo, and to Bolivia, Venezuela Bwriti (M. ainilera Mart')-grows at and . It has a thick trunk with altitudes above 500 m, in topographic swellingstoward the top, and sometimes r9771 CAVALCANTE:EDIBLE PALM FRUITS I01 in the middle or at the base. Leaves are height. The leaves are crispate and 5-6 pinnate, up to 10 m in length and erect, m in length. The fruit clusters are ro- rvith leaf segmentsin groups o{ three, bust, about 1.5 m in length, with {our, or {ive, standing out in di{ferent rounded fruits 1.5 cm in diameter. and directions, making the leaves character- an epicarp black-purple in color. Fruit- istically crispate in appearance. When ing is in the rainy seasonof the year, the leaves die and dry out, they break from October to June. at the apex of the petiole and'thus, {or some time, the upper' part of the trunk Mart. remains enclosedin the persistant leaf BACABA bases. bacaba-d,e-leque,bacaba-de-azeite, Inflorescencesare large and compact, bacaba-d,o-pard, protectedby a large, woody, cymbi{orm This palm is of elegant stature, and spathewhich endsin a sharp point. The one of the most characteristic o{ the {ruit is an ovoid drupeo 5-6 cm in Amazon estuary. It is common in the length, with the tip pointed and the base forest and in areas of secondgrowth of protected by induviae. The epicarp is the uplands (terras and its leathery, fibrous, covering a viscous, finnes), range extendsto MaranhSo, and to the oily pulp which is slightly acid in taste, borders of the statesof Goiris and Mato but agreeable. The endocarp is stony, Grosso. The palm grows as an isolated with l-3 seeds. Theseseeds, or kernels, individual plant, up to 10-12 m in contain about 60 percent oil, which is height, has a smooth trunk, dilated at similar to babagu palm oil (Orbisnya the base,and with spacedrings. Leaves speciosa), and has many of the same are crispate with the sheathing part of uses, New leaves are widely used to the leaf bases elongate and equitant, cover the roo{ and walls of dwellings, arranged distichously, that is, in the and are also usedto make various woven same plane, in the form o{ a fan; that objects. In the-rrubber-gatheringareas, characteristic is principal to its easy the {ruits are burned to smoke latex. identification. The woody spathe,when dried, becomes The inflorescenceis protectedby two strongly curved and is used as a seat long, somewhatwoody spathes,originat- by the Amerindians. Excellent heart of ing under the lower leaf sheaths. Fruits palm can also be obtained from this tree. are rounded or ellipsoidal, I.5-2 cm in Between January and June the fruits diameter, with a purple-violet epicarp, are regularly found in the open-air and yellow-white pulp. The pulp con- markets, but occasionally also appear tains 25 percent of a clear, yellow oil from October to December. that can substituteper{ectly for olive oil its usages(Pesce 1941: Oenocarpus bacabal Mart. BACABA in usual cooking juice is of a creamy bacaba-agu, bacaba-a er dad eir a 34). Bacaba a drink or milky color, and with a su{ficiently This palm is found in the states of good taste (althoueh it has a high oil Amazonasand ParS (lower Amazon and content). Jari rivers) and cultivated in the gar- Fruits are found in the open-air mar- den of the Museu Goeldi. It has a soli' kets beginning in October, and become tary, erect trunk, reaching up to 20 m in abundant in the rainy season (January to May), exactly in the period when the the bacaba palm {ruits can be used L All of therefore compensating to make juice, which is prepared and con' agai are scarce, sumed in the same way as aga[ |uice' for their lack. 102 PRINCIPES lVor..21

Oenocarpus multicaulis Spruce Pyrenoglyphis maraja (Mart.) Burr. BACABA [Bactris maraja Mart.] MARAJA bacabinha, bacaba-i This small palm with a thin trunk and This palm occurs in the upper Ama- the rachis o{ the leavesaculeate, is com- zon and in Peru. It has been planted in mon in the swampy areas, riverbanks, the garden of the Museu Goeldi where it and narrow channels (igarap4s) oI the satis{actorily {ruits the year-round. It Amazon. The wood of the trunk is ex- grows in clumps o{ 5-10 plants, exclud- tremely hard and for that reason is ing basal suckers. Trunks are thin, widely used by the Amerindians in mak- sometimesinclined, 7-10 m in height, ing weapons-arrowheads, lances,blow- with distinctive rings. Leaf sheathsare guns, etc. Fruits are globose drupes, dark green or chestnutbrown. The wood purple-black in color, containing a thin is very hard and is streaked with dark mucilaginous pulp which has a bitter- and light fibers, reminding one of the sweet flavor, and is generally appreci- wood of the acapu (Vouacapouaam'eri- ated as a snack.The fruits appearin the cana). The fruit is almost round, 2.5 open-air markets from March to June. cm in diameter,with a black-purpleepi- Various other species of this , carp and a milky-white pulp. Juice made whether they have edible {ruit or not, from the fruits and the fruiting season are also re{erred to by the name ma'raid. are the sameas in O. d,istichus. Lrrrnlrunr Crrro Oenocarpus rninor Mart. BACABINHA Bonoen, G. 1964. Palmeiras do Brasil. Bo1. Bot. S5o Paulo, No. 2. bacaba'mirim. bacabi Inst. C,rr-zevan.t,B. B. G. 1972. As possibilidades Bol. This palm is {ound in the states of do acaizeiro no estudrio Amaz6nico. Fac. Ci6n. Agr. Par6, No. 5. although it is not ParS and .{mazonas, Cu.r.vns, J. M. 'txn Pncrrrr, E. 1945. O very common, It is characterizedby its assai. um dos alimentos bdsicos da small size, as the common name baca' Amaz6nia. AmapS (mimeograPh). binha, which means small bacaba, indi' - AND 1947. Tucum5. Rev. Ind. 16(184): 1-20. palm grows as an isolated Quim. cates. The Cosr,t, D-tNrB. 1959. Presenqa da vitamina individual plant to a height of 5-7 m, o'A' no agai. Bol. InsP. Agr. Pari 9: a diameter oI 4-6 cm, and has small 53-63. {ruit clusters. The fruits are a shiny Husnn, J. 1904. Notas sobre a pdtria e geogrdfica das drvores fruti- color, some 1.5 cm in diameter, distribuigSo black {eras do Pard. Bol. Mus. Goeldi Hist. Nat. have a white pulp, and produce an excel- Ethnogr. 4: 375-406. Ient juice. Its fruiting season is from Prscr, Crr-nsrrxo. 194I. Oleaginosas da November to April. Amaz6nia. Bel6m.