Carossier
Attalea crassispatha

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A tall palm. It grows 20 m high. The trunk can be 25-35 cm wide. The crown is nearly rounded. There are 15-19 leaves. The leaves are 3.1-4 m long. There are regularly spaced leaflets. They grow in a single flat plane. The flowering stalk is borne among the leaves. They are crowded among the leaf bases. The fruit have one seed. They are oval and 3.5-4 cm long by 2 cm wide. They are reddish.

There are between (22) 30-71 Attalea species. Some authorities divide them among Attalea, Orbignya, Scheela and Maximiliana. This one is seriously endangered. The fruit are eaten by children.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in low limestone hills in dry savannas in Haiti. It is damaged by frost. It needs a fertile, well-drained soil. It needs shade when young but can then grow in full sun. It can tolerate drought once mature.

Countries/locations it is found in

Central America, Haiti (country/location of origin), USA, West Indies (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

The young seeds are eaten. They taste like coconuts.

They are especially eaten by children. It is endangered in the wild.

Edible parts

Seeds, fruit

How it is grown

It is slow to establish.

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Bornoa crassispatha O. F. Cook; Cocos crassispatha Mart.; Orbignya crassispatha (Martius) Glassman; Maximiliana crassispatha Mart.;