Chonta, Large ruffle palm
Aiphanes grandis
Family: Arecaceae
What it is like
A large palm. The stems are solitary. They are 10-21 m tall. The trunk is 17 cm across. It has very long black spines. There are 7-10 leaves. There are many leaflets arranged in clusters of 5-8. The middle ones are 80 cm long and 8 cm wide. The bract around the flowering stalk is long and woody. It has spines. There are about 200 flowering branches. The fruit hang down. The fruit are round and 2-2.3 cm across. They are dull green. They have soft, black easily removed small spines.
There are about 38 Aiphanes species. They grow in tropical America.
Where it is found
It is a tropical plant. It grows in humid regions. It grows between 1100 and 1700 m altitude in Ecuador.
Countries/locations it is found in
Ecuador (country/location of origin), South America
How it is used for food
The palm heart is eaten raw or cooked. The fruit are boiled in water then the seeds are puried and cooked with sugar cane.
Edible parts
Palm heart, seeds, cabbage, seed - drink
How it is grown
Its other names
Local names
Grigri grand, Pambi