Spiny fruit spiny clubpalm
Bactris acanthocarpa

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A palm. It is spiny and grows 3 m tall. It has short stems that are usually underground. The stems have 5-15 leaves and these are 4 m long. The fruit are green but become red.

There are 239 Bactris species. There are 75 species in tropical America. Most Bactris have fruit that are edible but many are not attractive. It is used as medicine.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It is usually in lowlands on non flooded soils and can be up to 1,000 m above sea level. It grows in wet rainforest.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Peru, South America, Suriname, Venezuela

How it is used for food

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Its other names

Local names

Bahy, Canahuanima, Njilla, Pupunha da mata, Pupunha-de-macaco

Synonyms

Bactris bicuspidata Spruce; Bactris mindellii Barb.Rodr.; Pyrenoglyphis bicuspidata (Spruce) Burret;