''Astrocaryum'' is a genus of about 36Kew Palms Checklist: ''Astrocaryum'' /ref> to 40 species of palms native to
Central
Central is an adjective usually referring to being in the center of some place or (mathematical) object.
Central may also refer to:
Directions and generalised locations
* Central Africa, a region in the centre of Africa continent, also known as ...
''Astrocaryum'' is a genus of spiny palms with pinnately compound leaves–rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern. Some species are single-stemmed, while others grow in multi-stemmed ( caespitose) clumps. They are pleonanthic—they flower repeatedly over the course of their lifespan—and
monoecious
Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy.
Monoecy is conne ...
, meaning that there are separate male and female flowers, but individuals plants bear both types of flowers.
Taxonomy
History
The type species, ''Astrocaryum aculeatum'', was first described by German
botanist
Botany, also called , plant biology or phytology, is the science of plant life and a branch of biology. A botanist, plant scientist or phytologist is a scientist who specialises in this field. The term "botany" comes from the Ancient Greek wo ...
Guyana
Guyana ( or ), officially the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, is a country on the northern mainland of South America. Guyana is an indigenous word which means "Land of Many Waters". The capital city is Georgetown. Guyana is bordered by the ...
Astrocaryum mexicanum
''Astrocaryum mexicanum'', the chocho palm, cohune palm, or chapay, is a species of cocosoid palm in the family Arecaceae
The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be cli ...
'', a common palm of the
Caribbean
The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
coast of Central America, is known as ''warree cohune'' in Brazil, as its spines are said to resemble the bristles of the white-lipped peccary or ''warree''.
Uses
The fruit and seeds of several species are used for human food, oil production and fish bait. Leaves are used as a source of fibre and stems as building material. Species are also used medicinally and as a source of palm heart.