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''Oenocarpus bataua'', the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a palm tree native to the
/ref> Two varieties are recognized: #''Oenocarpus bataua'' var. ''bataua'' - Panama and South America #''Oenocarpus bataua'' var. ''oligocarpus'' (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) A.J.Hend. - Trinidad, Venezuela, Guianas In Western Amazonia ''O. bataua'' is one of the top three palm species in both frequency and abundance. It reaches its highest densities in soils of low to intermediate nutrient concentration. In Colombia, it is usually found in sandy soils with a high organic matter content that are subject to flooding, possibly because there are few other species which compete with it. It can grow extremely well on unflooded soils as witnessed by high-density stands in the pastures of the Colombian Chocó, though it is rarely found on terra firma in the wild since competition from other species is such that it rarely gets the high light levels it needs to set fruit.
Pataua
The oil is used in traditional medicine to treat cough and bronchitis.
Amazon rainforest
The Amazon rainforest, Amazon jungle or ; es, Selva amazónica, , or usually ; french: Forêt amazonienne; nl, Amazoneregenwoud. In English, the names are sometimes capitalized further, as Amazon Rainforest, Amazon Forest, or Amazon Jungle. ...
. The tree produces edible fruits rich in high-quality oil.Vallejo Rendón, Darío 2002. "Oenocarpus bataua, seje"; ''Colombia Amazónica'', separata especies promisorias 1. Corporación Colombiana para la Amazonia –Araracuara- COA.
Distribution and habitat
It is native to the tropicalrainforest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainfores ...
s of South America and is abundant in the wet zones at elevations less than . Its distribution stretches from Panamá and Trinidad to the Amazon basin
The Amazon basin is the part of South America drained by the Amazon River and its tributaries. The Amazon drainage basin covers an area of about , or about 35.5 percent of the South American continent. It is located in the countries of Bolivi ...
(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 ...
, Venezuela, Guianas
The Guianas, sometimes called by the Spanish loan-word ''Guayanas'' (''Las Guayanas''), is a region in north-eastern South America which includes the following three territories:
* French Guiana, an overseas department and region of France
* ...
, Brazil, 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 ...
, Ecuador, Peru).Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families/ref> Two varieties are recognized: #''Oenocarpus bataua'' var. ''bataua'' - Panama and South America #''Oenocarpus bataua'' var. ''oligocarpus'' (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) A.J.Hend. - Trinidad, Venezuela, Guianas In Western Amazonia ''O. bataua'' is one of the top three palm species in both frequency and abundance. It reaches its highest densities in soils of low to intermediate nutrient concentration. In Colombia, it is usually found in sandy soils with a high organic matter content that are subject to flooding, possibly because there are few other species which compete with it. It can grow extremely well on unflooded soils as witnessed by high-density stands in the pastures of the Colombian Chocó, though it is rarely found on terra firma in the wild since competition from other species is such that it rarely gets the high light levels it needs to set fruit.
Description
Its stem is solitary, erect, in height and diameter, smooth, and ring-shaped. It has 10–16 leaf terminals, petiole , rachis long; with leaflets up to long and 15 cm breadth, approximately 100 to each side, placed in the same plane.Galeano, Gloria 1991. ''Las palmas de la región del Araracuara''. Bogotá: TOPEMBOS - Universidad Nacional. Segunda edición, 1992, p.p. 146-148. The blossom is long, with about 300 rachilas up to length. The flowers are yellow with sepals andpetal
Petals are modified Leaf, leaves that surround the reproductive parts of flowers. They are often advertising coloration, brightly colored or unusually shaped to attract pollinators. All of the petals of a flower are collectively known as the ''c ...
s long.
Uses
Patawa fruits are used for cosmetic, food, and pharmaceutical purposes. Traditionally indigenous peoples have collected the fruit and matured it in tepid water in order to prepare drinks and also to extract its oil. Itsdrupe
In botany, a drupe (or stone fruit) is an indehiscent fruit in which an outer fleshy part (exocarp, or skin, and mesocarp, or flesh) surrounds a single shell (the ''pit'', ''stone'', or '' pyrena'') of hardened endocarp with a seed (''kernel'') ...
s are 8–10% oil. The fresh ''meolo
Meolo is a town in the Metropolitan City of Venice, Veneto, northern Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranea ...
'' is edible too.
The rachis have been used to manufacture arrows and the leaves to make baskets and construct provisional housings.
Additionally, '' Rhynchophorus palmarum'' larvae are harvested from the palm.
Oil
Traditionally, patauá oil is used by Amazonian communities in fried foods. In Bolivia, the oil is known as ''aceite de majo''. It is also used in cosmetic production, as it can be used as a tonic to soften the hair.References
External links
* {{Taxonbar, from=Q2709536 bataua Flora of Panama Flora of South America Flora of Trinidad and Tobago Medicinal plants Plants described in 1823 Trees of Peru Edible palms Flora without expected TNC conservation status