Murumuru palm
Astrocaryum murumuru

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A spiny palm. It can be solitary or in clusters. The trunk can be short and underground or tall. It can be 1.5-15 m tall. The trunk can be 10-30 cm across. It has feather-like leaves. There are 38-133 leaflets on each side. The male and female flowers are separate on the same palm. The fruit are oval and 3.5-9 cm long by 2.5-4.5 cm wide. They have a brown covering. The fruit have a juicy flavour. There are several varieties.

There are about 40-50 Astrocaryum species.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest usually along the edges of rivers. They are often in areas which are regularly flooded. They grow at low altitudes but can be up to 900 m altitude in the Andes.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil (country/location of origin), Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Indonesia, Peru, SE Asia, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The fleshy covering of the fruit is eaten. The seed kernels yield an oil.

The fruit are popular.

Edible parts

Fruit, cabbage, palm heart, oil, seeds

How it is grown

Plants are grown by seed. It can also be grown from suckers.

The fleshy layer around the seed contains 40% fat.

Its other names

Local names

Chonta, Chuchana, Huicungo, Palm murumuru

Synonyms

Astrocaryum chonta Mart.; Astrocaryum granatum Kahn. & Millan; Astrocaryum ulei Burret;