Maraja
Bactris maraja

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A clump forming palm. It has an underground creeping rhizome. The trunks are 4-8 m high and 3-5 cm across. They are covered with dense rings of flattened black spines. Each crown has several leaves. These are 1.5-3 m long. The leaflets point forward and droop. They are shiny and mid green. The midrib is spiny. There are black prickles along the edges of the leaflets. The flowering stalks are 30-50 cm long. The flowers are yellowish. The fruit are rounded and purple-black. They are about 1.5 cm across. The fruit are acid.

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 forest usually on non flooded soils. It grows at low elevations but can be up to 1000 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Bolivia (country/location of origin), Brazil (country/location of origin), Central America, Colombia (country/location of origin), Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Panama, Peru (country/location of origin), South America, Suriname, Venezuela (country/location of origin), West Indies

How it is used for food

The fruit are edible. The fruit are used for wine.

The fruit are commonly eaten. It is sold in local markets.

Edible parts

Fruit, palm hearts, cabbage, seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed.

Its other names

Local names

Alar, Bi ni, Chacarra, Chambira neja, Chirqui, Chontilla, Chontilla conguillo, Dageypemoe, Emetogahue, Espina, Kiskismaka, Lata sabanera, Maraja-assu, Mogor, Muraya kamancha, Nanaguemo, Nieja, Niejilla, Palmeirinha, Piritu, Tana, Tucum-bravo, Uva del Montana, Uvita

Synonyms

Bactris pallidispina Mart.; Pyrenoglyphis maraja (Mart.) Burret; Synonyms of Bactris maraja var. maraja Bactris actinoneura Drude & Trail; Bactris armata Barb. Rodr.; Bactris chaetochlamys Burret; Bactris chaetospatha var. macrophylla Drude; Bactris chlococantha Poepp. ex Mart.; Bactris diviscupula L.H.Bailey; Bactris elatior Wallace; Bactris erostrata Burret; Bactris fuscospina L.H.Bailey; Bactris granariuscarpa Barb. Rodr.; Bactris gymnospatha Burret; Bactris kamarupa Steyerm.; Bactris leptospadix Burret; Bactris leptotricha Burret; Bactris longicuspis Burret; Bactris longisecta Burret; Bactris macrocarpa Wallace; Bactris maraja subsp. limnaia Trail; Bactris maraja subsp. maraja Trail; Bactris maraja subsp. sobralensis Trail; Bactris maraja var. limnaia (Trail) Drude; Bactris maraja var. sobralensis (Trail)Drude; Bactris maraja var. trailii A.D. Hawkes; Bactris monticola Barb. Rodr.; Bactris paucijuga Barb. Rodr.; Bactris sigmoidea Burret; Bactris sobralensis (Trail) Barb. Rodr.; Bactris sobralensis var. limnaia (Trail)Barb. Rodr.; Bactris strictacantha Burret; Bactris sylvatica Barb. Rodr.; Bactris trichospatha Barb. Rodr.; Bactris trichospatha subsp. jurutensis Trail; Bactris trichospatha subsp. trichospatha Trail; Bactris trichospatha subsp. trichospatha var. elata Trail; Bactris trichospatha subsp. trichospatha var. robusta Trail; Bactris trichospatha var. cararaucensis A.D. Hawkes; Bactris trichospatha var. jurutensis (Trail) Drude; Bactris trichospatha var. patens Drude; Bactris trichospatha var. robusta (Trail)Drude; Bactris umbraticola Barb. Rodr.; Bactris umbrosa Barb. Rodr.; Pyrenoglyphis maraja (Mart.) Burret; Pyrenoglyphis rivularis (Barb. Rodr.)Burret;