''Oenocarpus'' is a

genus Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...

pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...

-leaved palms (Arecaceae) native to

Trinidad Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands of Trinidad and Tobago. The island lies off the northeastern coast of Venezuela and sits on the continental shelf of South America. It is often referred to as the southernmos ...

, southern

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

tropical The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...

South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the southe ...

. (2004): World Checklist of Arecaceae &ndash
''Oenocarpus''
The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Retrieved 2008-DEC-24. With nine

species In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...

and one natural

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two dif ...

, the genus is distributed from

Costa Rica Costa Rica (, ; ; literally "Rich Coast"), officially the Republic of Costa Rica ( es, República de Costa Rica), is a country in the Central American region of North America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the no ...

and Trinidad in the north to

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

and

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

in the south. Common names in their native range are ''bacaba'' in

, and ''palma milpesos'' (or just ''milpesos'') in

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

-speaking countries. These terms may also refer to the best-known member of this genus, '' O. bacaba'', but more precise common names exist for that species. The fruit of ''Oenocarpus'' palms are food for various animals, such as the

green aracari The green araçari (''Pteroglossus viridis''), is a toucan, a near-passerine bird. It is found in the lowland forests of northeastern South America (the Guiana Shield), in the northeast Amazon Basin, the Guianas and the eastern Orinoco River drain ...

('' Pteroglossus viridis'') for which ''O. bacaba'' fruit are a mainstay food. They are also locally eaten by humans, and these palms are also used in

folk medicine Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) comprises medical aspects of traditional knowledge that developed over generations within the folk beliefs of various societies, including indigenous peoples, before the ...

. Their wood is useful for

handicraft A handicraft, sometimes more precisely expressed as artisanal handicraft or handmade, is any of a wide variety of types of work where useful and decorative objects are made completely by one’s hand or by using only simple, non-automated re ...

and the fruits can also be used to produce oil, which is of excellent quality and was used as a substitute for

olive oil Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: f ...

during WW2.

List of species

The currently accepted species of ''Oenocarpus'' are: * '' Oenocarpus × andersonii'' Balick - northwestern Brazil (''O. bacaba × O. minor'') * ''

Oenocarpus bacaba ''Oenocarpus bacaba'' is an economically important monoecious fruiting palm native to South America and the Amazon Rainforest, which has edible fruits. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. It can reach ...

'' Mart, - Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, the Guianas —''bacaba açu, bacaba-de-leque, bacaba verdadeira'' (

), ''manoco, punáma'' (

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 ...

), ''camon'' (

French Guiana French Guiana ( or ; french: link=no, Guyane ; gcr, label=French Guianese Creole, Lagwiyann ) is an overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department/region and single territorial collectivity of France on the northern Atlantic ...

), ''ungurauy'' (

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

), ''koemboe'' (

Suriname Suriname (; srn, Sranankondre or ), officially the Republic of Suriname ( nl, Republiek Suriname , srn, Ripolik fu Sranan), is a country on the northeastern Atlantic coast of South America. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the north ...

) * '' Oenocarpus balickii'' F.Kahn — northwestern Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador - ''sinamillo'' * ''

Oenocarpus bataua ''Oenocarpus bataua'', the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a palm tree native to the Amazon rainforest. The tree produces edible fruits rich in high-quality oil.Vallejo Rendón, Darío 2002. "Oenocarpus bataua, seje"; ''Colombi ...

'' Mart. — Panama, Trinidad, Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, the Guianas - '' mingucha'', '' ungurahui'' * ''

Oenocarpus circumtextus ''Oenocarpus circumtextus'' is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America� ...

'' Mart. - Colombia, Amazonas State of Brazil * '' Oenocarpus distichus'' Mart. - Bolivia, Peru, Brazil * '' Oenocarpus makeru'' R.Bernal, Galeano & A.J.Hend. - Colombia * '' Oenocarpus mapora'' H.Karst. - Brazil, Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Panama, Costa Rica - (= ''O. multicaulis, O. panamanus'') * '' Oenocarpus minor'' Mart. - Colombia, Amazonas State of Brazil * '' Oenocarpus simplex'' R.Bernal, Galeano & A.J.Hend. - Colombia, Amazonas State of Brazil

References

Arecaceae genera Neotropical realm flora {{tree-stub