Manicol
Euterpe broadwayi

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A clustered palm. It grows 8-20 m tall. The trunks are 20-25 cm across. They are grey. There is often a cone of roots at the base. There are 10-16 leaves. The crown-shaft is green but can have reddish tinges. The leaflets tend to hang down. The flowering branches are 0.7-1 cm across. They are covered with whitish brown hairs. The fruit are round and purple-black. They are 1-1.4 cm across.

There are 7 Euterpe species. (There were originally 30 species listed)

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in forest on mountain ridges. It grows between 600-1,000 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Central America, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Haiti, Lesser Antilles, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

How it is used for food

The palm heart can be eaten raw or boiled. The trunks can contain the edible palm beetle (Calandra palmarum).

Edible parts

Cabbage, palm heart

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Manac, Palmiste

Synonyms

Euterpe broadwayana Becc.; Euterpe dominicana L.H.Bailey; Euterpe grenadana L. H. Bailey; Euterpe hagleyi L. H. Bailey;