Yagua palm, Contillo palm
Attalea insignis

Family: Arecaceae

What it is like

A solitary palm. The stem is short or underground. There are 9-11 leaves in the crown. They have leaflets along the stalk. The leaf stalks are long. They can be 1.6-3.3 m long. The leaflets are arranged irregularly in clusters. They spread in different planes. The flowering shoot is from among the leaves. It is erect and on a long stalk. The fruit is oval to oblong and 7-7.5 cm long by 3.5-4 cm wide. They are brownish and have 2-3 seeds.

Where it is found

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforests and up to 600 m above sea level.

Countries/locations it is found in

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

How it is used for food

The shoots are burnt for vegetable salt.

Edible parts

Fruit, shoots - salt, vegetable, seeds

How it is grown

Plants can be grown from seeds.

Its other names

Local names

Barikai, Edi ni, Genka yapa, Gomankowe, Inajuga, Ocohua'jo, Palem yagua, Palma de ramo, Shapaja, Urcuri, Urkusi

Synonyms

Attalea goeldiana Huber; Cocos insignis Mart. ex H. Wendl.; Englerophoenix insignis (Mart.) Kuntze; Maximiliana insignis Mart.l Scheelea attaleoides H Karst.; Scheelea goeldiana (Huber) Burret; Scheelea insignis (Mart.) H. Karst.;