Tobago cane, Corozo palm
Bactris guineensis

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A small palm. It forms dense clusters. The stems are spiny. The trunks are 3 m high and 2.5 cm across. The leaves are 1 m long. The leaflets are straight and narrow and regularly spaced. They are split at the tip. The leaflets grow at different angles from the spiny leaf stalk. The fruit are purple and about the size of cherries.

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 suits hot, tropical lowland climates. It grows in clearings in the rainforest and in deciduous thorn forest. It can grow on various soils. It cannot tolerate frost. It grows up to 850 m altitude in Central America. In Brisbane Botanical gardens.

Countries/locations it is found in

Amazon, Asia, Australia, Central America (country/location of origin), Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Indonesia, Jamaica, Nicaragua, Panama, SE Asia, South America, Venezuela, West Indies

How it is used for food

Fruit are used to make a drink. In Colombia it is called chica de corozo. They are also used for wine. They are also used in pickles. The fruit pulp is eaten fresh.

Edible parts

Fruit

How it is grown

Plants are grown from seeds. They can also be grown from suckers.

Its other names

Local names

Biscoyol, Coyolito, Palem koroso, Piritu palm, Piritu, Prickly pole, Tobago cane, Tobago palm, Uvita de monte

Synonyms

Aiphanes minima (Gaertn.) Burret; Bactris horrida Oerst.; Bactris minor Jacq.; Bactris oraria L. H. Bailey; Bactris piritu (H. Karst.) H. Wendl.; Bactris rotunda Stokes; Cocos guineensis L.; Guilielma piritu H. Karst.;