Pataua Palm. Bataua
Oenocarpus bataua

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

Oenocarpus bataua is an evergreen Tree growing to 20 m (65ft) by 12 m (39ft) at a fast rate. See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10. Suitable for: medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils. Suitable pH: mildly acid and neutral soils and can grow in very acid soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers moist or wet soil.

Height (m): 20

Where it is found

Rainforest. Tropical rainforests of South America, in a wide range of growing conditions from swampy lowlands to mountainous regions. Found in both inundated and non-inundated areas.

Northern S. America - Brazil, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela, the Guyanas; C. America - Panama; Caribbean - Trinidad.

Conservation Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil (native), Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Trinidad, Venezuela, West Indies.

How it is used

Food

Rating: 3

A light greenish-yellow oil is obtained from the fruit. Used as a salad or cooking oil317]. Very stable, it does not easily turn rancid. It is almost identical with olive oil. Used in cooking and as a colouring for chocolates. Traditionally, the oil is extracted by pounding the fruit, boiling it in water and skimming off the oil as it floats on the surface. Fruit - a sweet flavour46]. The thin, oily mesocarp has a chocolate-like flavour, and is very popular. It is usually soaked before eating to soften the pulp. The fleshy fruit can be eaten fried. The fruit is about 3cm long and 2cm wide. A nutritious protein- and oil-rich beverage (agua de seche) is made from the fruit pulp. It is sometimes made into an alcoholic drink by fermentation. A nutritious milk-like beverage is made by mixing the juice of the pulp with manioc meal. Seed - cooked. Eaten mainly by poor people. Leaves - cooked. The apical bud, often known as a 'palm heart', is eaten as a vegetable. Eating this bud leads to the death of the tree because it is unable to make side shoots.

Apical bud: Typically, the end of a shoot contains an apical bud, which is the location where shoot growth occurs.

Oil: Oil

Seed: includes nuts, cereals, peas and beans.

Colouring: edible dyes

Drink: not including plant saps, tea or coffee substitutes.

Medicine

Rating: 2

The fruits are soaked in warm water to soften, the seed coat is removed, and the remainder is macerated in cold water, strained, and drunk or used as a tonic. The oil obtained from the fruit is used medicinally. It is used as a carrier oil - the wood chips of Schefflera morototoni are steeped in the oil and then the oil is massaged into the back to relieve pain in the vertebral column. The oil from the seed is purgative and is also used to treat tuberculosis. The hard endosperm is crushed and eaten to cure snake bites.

Purgative: A drastic laxative causing a cleansing or watery evacuation of the bowels, usually with a griping pain.

Tonic: Improves general health. Slower acting than a stimulant, it brings steady improvement.

Other

Rating: 3

The kernels yield an edible oil, somewhat similar to olive oil, that can also be made into soap and is used in the cosmetic industry. The fronds of the palm are used for thatching. The leaves are used for making walls and baskets. The hair-like fibres of the leaves are used to produce ropes for the navy. The spine-like fibres of the leaf sheath are made into darts for the blowpipe. A dark blue dye is obtained from the fruit. The wood is utilized for the manufacture of bows and arrow points. The trunks are exploited for construction. The wood of the stem is split and used for floors, and for other construction needs.

Basketry: Plant used in making baskets and other items such as chairs. Includes plants that are only used as an ornamental addition.

Dye: Plants that provide dyes.

Fibre: Used for making cloth, rope, paper etc.

Oil: Vegetable oils have many uses, as lubricants, lighting, soap and paint making, waterproofing etc. This does not include the edible oils unless they are also mentioned as having other uses.

Soap: Plants used directly as a soap substitute.

String: Plants that can be used for string or can be easily made into a string. See also Fibre. Plants for ropes may be included.

Thatching: Used for making thatched roofs.

Wood: A list of the trees and shrubs that are noted for having useful wood.

Experimental Crop: Plant breeders are testing these plants to see if they could be domesticated for cultivation, but they are still in an experimental phase. Examples include milkweed and leafy spurge.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

Experimental Crop: Plant breeders are testing these plants to see if they could be domesticated for cultivation, but they are still in an experimental phase. Examples include milkweed and leafy spurge.

Industrial Crop: Fiber: Clothing, rugs, sheets, blankets etc. Currently, almost none of our fiber are produced from perennial crops but could be!

Staple Crop: Oil: (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

Carbon Farming: Plants that can be a critical part of the solution to climate problems. The Carbon Farming Solution - Eric Toensmeier.

Food Forest: Plants for Edible Forest Gardens and Food Forests.

How it is grown

A plant of low to moderate elevations in the humid tropics, where it is found at elevations up to 1,350 metres. It grows best in areas where annual daytime temperatures are within the range 21 - 28°c, but can tolerate 17 - 32°c. When dormant, the plant can survive temperatures down to about 5°c. It prefers a mean annual rainfall in the range 2,000 - 4,000mm, but tolerates 1,500 - 6,300mm. Requires a sunny position and a moist soil. Very young plants require a shady position, becoming more light-demanding as they grow older. Tolerates Prefers a pH in the range 4.8 - 5.5, tolerating 4.3 - 6.5.

Propagating it: Seed - requires a shady position.

Best place to grow:

Habit: Tree

Hardiness: 10-12

Growth: Fast

Soil: Medium, heavy (clay)

Shade: No shade

Moisture: Moist, wet

Things to keep in mind

Its other names

Local names

Seje, Chapil, Trupa, Milpesos, Ungurai, Aricagua, Ungurahui, Kunkuk', Patawa, Turu, Komboe, Yagua, Aricagua, Isa, Batawa, Jagua, Mille pesos, Palma de leche, Palma patavona, Majo, Gindoru, Dudiba, Seje ungurahuay, Ungurabi, Koanarima si, patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha (Oenocarpus bataua or Jessenia bataua).

Synonyms

Jessenia bataua (Mart.) Burret Jessenia oligocarpa Griseb. & H.Wendl. Jessenia polycarpa H.Karst. Jessenia repanda Engl. Jessenia weberbaueri Burret Oenocarpus batawa Wallace Oenocarpus oligocarpus (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) Wess.Boer Oenocarpus seje Cuervo Márquez