Monkey Cap Palm
Manicaria saccifera

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. It can be clumping. It often forms dense colonies. The trunk is 10 m high. It is often 2 m high. It is 35 cm across. The leaves can be 7-10 m long and 2 m wide. The leaves are unsegmented unless separated by wind. The bract below the flower (spathe) is sack-like and fibrous. The flowering stalks comes from among the leaf bases. It is 1 m long. The fruit are hard and woody. They are round or with 2 lobes. The fruit are 4-6 cm across. The fruit can float in rivers.

There are 1-4 Manicaria species. Young leaves are used as sails by Warao Indians. They are also used for thatch. The spathe is used for a loin cloth or hat (temiche).

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in extensive stands in freshwater swamps. It also grows in seasonally flooded rainforest. It needs warm humid conditions. It does best in shade. It cannot stand temperatures below 10°C. It needs lots of moisture year round. It needs humus rich acid soils. In Brisbane Botanical Gardens hothouse.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Australia, Belize, Brazil, Central America, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guianas, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Peru, South America, Suriname, Trinidad-Tobago, Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used for food

The juice of the young fruit is eaten. The sago or starch is harvested from the stems. The seeds are a source of oil. The seeds have a hard seed coat but once rotting the inside is eaten.

Edible parts

Nuts, pith - starch, fruit, oil, seedlings, seed

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Fresh seeds germinate in 4-6 months.

Its other names

Local names

Busso, Cabecinegro, Dahuhi, Escomfra, Guagara, Jiquera, Manaco, Nakoro, Palmier toulouri, Sanagua, Silico, Sleeve palm, Temiche palm, Temiche, Timiti, Troolie, Truli, Turuli, Ubi, Ubucu, Waruta, Yahuhi, Yolillo

Synonyms

Manicaria atricha Burret; Manicaria saccifera var. mediterranea Trail; Manicaria martiana Burret; Manicaria plukenetii Griseb. & H. Wendl.; Pilophora saccifera H. Wendl.; Pilophora testicularis Jacq.;