Buri palm
Polyandrococos caudescens

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A small palm. It has a solitary trunk. It grows to 5-8 m high. The trunk is 15-20 cm across. The trunk has rough rings. The crown is dense. The leaves are held upright. They are 3-4 m long. The leaves are feather like. They are silvery underneath. The new leaves are striped. There is no crown-shaft. The leaf stalks are 60 cm long. They are stout and ribbed below. They have a broad base. The leaflets are long, narrow, stiff and pointed. They taper to a sharp point. The fruit hang on a long stalk in tightly packed clusters. The fruit are about 4 cm long. They are deep orange to brown when ripe. The flesh is orange.

There is one Polyandrococcus species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It often grows near the sea in dry sandy soils. It usually grows below 350 m altitude in Brazil. In the Cairns Botanical Gardens. Queen Sirikit BG. In Townsville palmetum.

Countries/locations it is found in

Australia, Asia, Brazil, SE Asia, South America, Thailand

How it is used for food

The fruit are edible. They are succulent. The palm heart is bitter and needs treatment before eating.

They are only eaten occasionally.

Edible parts

Fruit, seeds, cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

It is grown from seed. The seed germinate erratically. They may take a few weeks to a few months to germinate. The seed are only viable for a short time.

Young plants grow steadily.

Its other names

Local names

Palmito-amargoso, Palha-branca

Synonyms

Allagoptera caudescens (Mart.) Kuntze; Cocos caudescens; Diplothemium caudescens Mart.; Diplothemium pectinatum Barb. Rodr.; Polyandrocos pectinata (Barb. Rodr.) Barb. Rodr.;