Bacaba
Oenocarpus bacaba

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The trunk is slender. It can be 20 m high. The trunk is 30 cm across. The crown is rounded. The false crown-shaft is like an upside-down pyramid. It is 1.3 m tall. The fronds are erect and arch over at the tips. The leaves are 5-7 m long. The leaf stalks are greyish green and 30-60 cm long. The leaflets are 1-1.3 m long. They grow at different angles and hang down giving a feathery appearance. The flowering stalk comes from below the lowest leaf and the segments hang down. It is 1.3 m long and the branches are bright red. The flowers are of one sex but both sexes occur on the flower stalk. The fruit are light purple when ripe. Each fruit contains one seed. The fruit are 2 cm long.

There are 9 Oenocarpus species. It has antioxidant properties.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It does not grow in areas that get flooded. It can grow from the lowlands to 1,000 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Colombia, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The fruit are used to make drinks. The fruit are eaten raw or boiled and eaten. The fruit/nut yield a colourless sweet oil used for cooking. Eating the shoots kills the palm.

It is a regular drink in the Amazon. Fruit are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Cabbage, fruit, oil, palm heart

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit are harvested and can be used as seed. Their viability is short. The seedlings can be transplanted into the field 7-9 months after they germinate

It is fast growing. It produces large amounts of fruit.

Its other names

Local names

Bobei, Comou, Hokosiki, Koemboe, Kumu, Lo, Lu, Manoco, Milpesillo, Red bacaba, Seje pequano, Unguraui

Synonyms

Oenocarpus bacaba var. bacaba Wess. Boer.; Oenocarpus bacaba var. grandis Wess. Boer.; Oenocarpus bacaba var. zanthocarpa Trail; Oenocarpus baccata Ciervo Marquez.; Oenocarpus grandis Burret; Oenocarpus hoppii Burret;