Bango palm
Bactris brongniartii

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm which forms clusters. The stems are 8 m high and 5 cm across. They are light brown with darker rings of spines. There are 4-6 leaves. The leaves are 1.6 m long. The leaves have narrow, sword shaped leaflets. These are light green. The leaf stalk has spines. The leaves are feather like. There are 23-34 leaflets on each side. They are stiffly spreading and arranged in different planes. The flowering stalk has 15-33 flowering branches. The bract around the flower has flattened yellowish spines 2 cm long. The fruit are a flattened round shape and 1.5 cm across. They are purple-black and juicy. They have one large seed. They have a leathery skin. The skin is black. There is only a small amount of edible flesh. The fruiting stalk has about 10 short branches with about 12 fruit on each.

There are 239 Bactris species. There are 75 species in tropical America. Most Bactris have fruit that are edible but many are not attractive.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in low wet areas and along streams. It can grow in light shade but does better in full sunlight. It grows along the banks of black water streams and rivers rich in sediment. It can be in areas that are occasionally flooded.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten and also used for drinks.

Fruit are sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds or suckers.

Fruit are produced during the rainy season.

Its other names

Local names

Arapara, Cachepai montanero, Cana negra, Cana, Chacarra, Cubarra, Cubarro, Do'irre, Kurupiyua, Maradai, Maraja, Maria-ci, Maria-wa, Muru muru, Negra, Nejilla, Palem bango

Synonyms

Bactris burretii Glassman; Bactris marajaacu Barb.Rodr.; Bactris pallidispina Mart.; Bactris piscatorum Wedd. ex Drude; Bactris rivularis Barb. Rodr.; Bactris tenera (H. Karst.)H. Wendl.; Guilielma tenera (H.Karst.)H. Wendl.; Pyrenglyphis brongniartii (Mart.)Burret; Pyrenglyphis microcarpa Burret; Pyrenglyphis pallidispina (Mart.)Burret; Pyrenglyphis piscatorum (Wedd. ex Drude)Burret; Pyrenglyphis tenera (H. Karst.)Burret;