Barriguda palm, Iriartea palm
Iriartea deltoidea

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A large palm. It has a single trunk. It can grow 17 m high. The trunk is 25 cm across. Older trunks are light grey to white. Plants growing in the lowlands have a bulge in the middle of the trunk. There are stilt roots around the base. These can be 1.3-2 m high. They are dark coloured and have short, prickly thorns. The crown-shaft is light greyish-green. It is 1-1.3 m high. The crown of leaves has 6 leaves which form a circle. The leaves are feather like. They are on a leaf stalks 4-5 m long. The leaflets are wedge shaped and 60-100 cm long. They are flat and shiny. They are irregularly fan shaped. They have jagged tips. The more narrow and feather like leaflets form once the palm emerges into the sunlight above the leaf canopy. The flowering stalk forms beneath the crown-shaft. The bracts around it are 3.3 m long. These curve downwards. The flowering stalk has many downward hanging yellow branches. The fruit are round and yellowish. They become bluish-black when ripe. They are 2.5 cm across.

There is only one Iriartea species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows from sea level to 1400 m altitude. It grows in rainforest on the slopes of mountains. It cannot tolerate frost. It needs humus rich soil and adequate moisture. The soil needs to be well drained. It grows up to 1,300 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Andes, Asia, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Central America (country/location of origin), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, SE Asia, South America (country/location of origin), Venezuela

How it is used for food

The palm heart is eaten raw or cooked. The young fruit is eaten raw. The flowers yield an ash used as a substitute for salt.

It is cultivated.

Edible parts

Shoots, cabbage, seeds, palm heart, fruit

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Ampakai, Barrugona, Bomba, Bombona, Bunchi, Buwa, Copa, Huacrapona, Ijiu, Kara putu, Maquenque, Palem iriartea, Pambil, Paxiuba barriguda, Pentiwi, Puna muyu, Pushiwa, Tepa, Tsara sankona, Tutuam, Wakra shanka

Synonyms

Deckeria corneto H. Karst.; Deckeria phaeocarpa (Mart.)H. Karst.; Deckeria ventricosa (Mart.)H. Karst.; Iriartea corneto (H. Karst.)H. Wendl.; Iriartea gigantea H. Wendl.; Iriartea megalocarpa Burret; Iriartea phaeocarpa Burret; Iriartea ventricosa Mart.; Iriartea weberbaueri Burret; ? Cocos ventricosa Arruda;