Carana
Mauritia carana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm. It grows to 17 m tall. The trunk can be 30 cm across. It has many dead leaves and fibres below the crown. There are 6-12 leaves. The leaves are like fingers on a hand and 2m long by 3.1 m wide. There are fewer segments and they hang downwards. The leaf bases are clothed in a mass of fibres. The leaves are split into 150 leaflets. The flowering stalks are smaller than Mauritia flexuosa. They are 3-4 m long. There are 16-36 flowering branches. The fruit are rounded. They are 4.5-7 cm across. They are reddish-brown. The fruit are oily.

There are 2 (50) Mauritia species. They are feather palm in tropical America.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in rainforest and wet savannas. It also grows along rivers at low elevations. They are often on poorly drained white sandy soil.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

A juice is prepared from the fruit. It is eaten wit cassava meal and sugar.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Aguaje, Canangucha de sabana, Canangucha paso, Carada, Carana

Synonyms

Orophoma carana (Wallace) Spruce;