''Euterpe precatoria'' is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palm 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 ...

and South America and Trinidad and Tobago. ''E. precatoria'' is used commercially to produce fruits, although ''

Euterpe oleracea Euterpe (; el, Εὐτέρπη, lit=rejoicing well' or 'delight , from grc, εὖ, eû, well + el, τέρπειν, térpein, to please) was one of the Muses in Greek mythology, presiding over music. In late Classical times, she was named muse ...

'' is more commonly cultivated due to its larger fruits.

Biological description

Stems are usually solitary (occasionally clustered), 3–20 metres tall and 4–23 centimetres in diameter. It is also estimated to be the most common tree in the Amazonian region, though it accounts for just over 1% of all trees there (5 billion out of 390 billion).

Uses

E. precatoria is a non-timber forest product that produces acai berries. As well as the edible fruits, this palm is a source of prized (though not very nutritious)

hearts of palm Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, most notably the coconut (''Cocos nucifera''), juçara (''Euterpe edulis''), açaí palm (''Euterpe oleracea''), palmetto (''Sabal'' spp.), and pea ...

. Since it is a single-stemmed palm, harvesting palm hearts kills the tree, and has led to a reduction in numbers. During the 1990s, the palm was heavily harvested for

palmito Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, most notably the coconut (''Cocos nucifera''), juçara ('' Euterpe edulis''), açaí palm (''Euterpe oleracea''), palmetto (''Sabal'' spp.), and p ...

in Peru and Bolivia, but production dropped in the early 2000s due to overharvesting. Today, prices in Peru are currently high since it is now uncommon in the wild.

Varieties

Two varieties are recognised: ''E. precatoria'' var. ''precatoria'' which has tall, solitary stems and is found in Trinidad and throughout most of the South American portion of the range, and ''E. precatoria'' var. ''longivaginata'' (Mart.) A.J.Hend. which has shorter, solitary or clustered stems, and is found in Colombia and Central America.

Etymology

Common names include mountain cabbage in Belize, açai, açaizeiro, açaí-do-amazonas or açaí-solitário in Brazil, asaí and palmiche in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, wassaï in French Guiana, huasaí in Peru and manaca in Venezuela. The stems are used for construction, a beverage is made from the fruit, and the roots are used medicinally.

Synonymy

Synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

: ;''E. precatoria'' var. ''precatoria'' ;Heterotypic synonyms * ''Euterpe oleracea'' Engel, nom. illeg. * ''Euterpe mollissima'' Spruce, nom. illeg. * ''Euterpe jatapuensis'' Barb.Rodr. * ''Euterpe stenophylla'' Trail ex Burret * ''Euterpe langloisii''

Burret Burret () is a commune in the Ariège department of southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in t ...

* ''Euterpe petiolata'' Burret * ''Euterpe subruminata'' Burret * ''Euterpe confertiflora'' L.H.Bailey ;''E. precatoria'' var. ''longivaginata'' ;Homotypic synonymsHomotypic synonyms are species names which are based on the same

type Type may refer to: Science and technology Computing * Typing, producing text via a keyboard, typewriter, etc. * Data type, collection of values used for computations. * File type * TYPE (DOS command), a command to display contents of a file. * Ty ...

individual * ''Euterpe longivaginata'' Mart. ;Heterotypic synonyms * ''Euterpe macrospadix'' Oerst. * ''Euterpe karsteniana'' Engel * ''Euterpe leucospadix''

H.Wendl. Hermann Wendland (October 11, 1825 in Herrenhausen – January 12, 1903 in Hanover) was a German botanist and gardener. He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae (palms), on which he published a major monograph which formed the basis for t ...

Hemsl. William Botting Hemsley (29 December 1843, in East Hoathly – 7 October 1924, in Kent) was an English botanist and 1909 Victoria Medal (horticulture), Victoria Medal of Honour recipient. He was born in East Hoathly, Sussex and in 1860 started wo ...

* ''Plectis oweniana'' O.F.Cook * ''Euterpe kalbreyeri'' Burret * ''Euterpe microcarpa'' Burret * ''Euterpe panamensis'' Burret * ''Rooseveltia frankliniana'' O.F.Cook * ''Euterpe rhodoxyla'' Dugand

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q289828 precatoria Medicinal plants of Central America Medicinal plants of South America Trees of Trinidad and Tobago Trees of Central America Trees of South America Palms of French Guiana Franklin D. Roosevelt Açaí