Chontilla, Pupunha brava, Chinamato, Pijuayo del monte, Chonta
Bactris macana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm with many stems. It grows 9.5-12 m tall. The stems are 10-20 cm across. It has spines. These can be 1 cm long. There are 8-17 leaves. These have 92-141 leaflets along each side. The tips are divided and unequal. The leaflets are arranged irregularly and are in different planes. The flowering stalk has 40-70 flowering branches. The bract is covered with spines. The fruit are red to orange and 2 cm across. They are round.

There are 239 Bactris species. There are 75 species in tropical America. Most Bactris have fruit that are edible but many are not attractive.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in humid areas. It grows between 600 and 1300 m altitude in Ecuador.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The fruit are cooked or roasted and the pulp eaten. The palm hearts are eaten raw or cooked.

Edible parts

Fruit, palm hearts, cabbage

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Synonyms

Bactris caribaea H. Karst.; Bactris dahlgreniana Glassman; Guilielma caribaea (H. Karst.)H. Wendl.; Guilielma microcarpa Huber; Guilielma macana Mart.;