Coco, Palma de ramo, Palma negra
Ceroxylon vogelianum

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The stems are 3-13 m tall. They are 10-20 cm across. They sometimes bend at the top. The trunk is grey or green. There are 6-15 leaves. They are feather like and curved. The crown is almost round and has a ragged appearance. There are 70-110 leaflets on each side of the leaf. They are arranged irregularly in clusters. They spread in different directions. The fruit are small and green and 1.5 cm across. The fruit became red and have netlike grooves.

There are about 20 Ceroxylon species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows between 2000 and 3000 m altitude in Ecuador. It grows in mountain rainforest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Andes, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, South America (country/location of origin), Venezuela

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Palmito real

Synonyms

Ceroxylon coarctatum (Engel)H. Wendl.; Ceroxylon crispum Burret; Ceroxylon flexuosum Galeano & R. Bernal; Ceroxylon hexandrum Dugand; Ceroxylon verruculosum Burret; Klopstockia coarctata Engel.; Klopstockia vogeliana Engel.;