Pataua, Bacaba, White bacaba
Oenocarpus distichus

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. It grows to about 20 m tall. The trunk is fairly straight. It is 30 cm wide. It is light grey with rings of dark leaf scars. The leaves are arranged alternately in two ranks. This gives a flat appearance from the side. Each leaf has a prominent, swollen, olive-green sheathing base. This forms a false crown-shaft. The leaves are 3.3-5 m long. There are many narrow leaflets arranged irregularly in groups along the leaf stalk. These leaflets are 1 m long and olive green. They hang down creating a curtain like effect. The large flowering stalks hang down. The fruit are 1.5 cm long and purple-black. The fruit can have white or red pulp.

There are 9 Oenocarpus species.

Where it is found

It is a tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest. It grows on soils that are not flooded. It is usually below 350 m altitude.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, South America, Venezuela

How it is used for food

The fruit are eaten raw or used for wine. Fruit that are white fleshed make a better drink than red fleshed kinds. The pulp of the fruit yields an edible oil.

The fruit is regularly used for drinks in the Amazon.

Edible parts

Fruit, oil, palm heart

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate readily. They take 2-4 months to germinate.

The fruit is 33% oil.

Its other names

Local names

Bacaba-de-Leque

Synonyms

Oenocarpus discolor Barb. Rodr.; Oenocarpus tarampabo Mart.;