Coco macaco
Bactris plumeriana

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm which forms clusters. The trunks are 8-10 m high and 12 cm across. The stems are dark. There are dark rings of long black spines. There are 7-12 leaves. The leaves are 2.6 m long. They are covered with black spines. The spines on the leaf stalk are in 3 rows. There are 50-70 leaflets on each side of the leaf. The leaflets grow at different angles. This gives the leaves a feathery appearance. The leaflets are spiny on the edges. The flowering stalk has 40-60 flowering branches. The bracts is black and spiny. The fruit are round and 1-1.6 cm across. They are orange-red.

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 along the edges of hilly evergreen forest. It is usually below 500 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Central America, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Haiti (country/location of origin), Hispaniola, Jamaica, West Indies (country/location of origin)

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Coco macaque, Prickly pole

Synonyms

Bactris chaetophylla Mart.; Bactris cubensis Burret; Bactris jamaicana L.H.Bailey; Bactris plumeriana of Becc.; Palma gracilis Mill.;