''Prestoea acuminata'' is a species of
palm tree native to
Central America, the
West Indies and
South America.
It was formerly widely harvested in Ecuador 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 pea ...
. However, the palm is now uncommon due to overharvesting and is no longer commercially harvested on a large scale.
Subspecies
Three subspecies are accepted:
* ''Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''acuminata'' – Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago.
* ''Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''dasystachys''
(Burret) A.J.Hend. & Galeano – Colombia and northwestern Venezuela.
* ''Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''montana''
(Graham) A.J.Hend. & Galeano – Synonym ''
Prestoea montana''. Cuba, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Leeward Islands, Windward Islands, Trinidad and Tobago.
''Prestoea acuminata'' var. ''montana'' (Graham) A.J.Hend. & Galeano
''Plants of the World Online'', Kew Science. Accessed 29 January 2023.
References
{{Taxonbar, from=Q15469409
Trees of Puerto Rico
Trees of Colombia
Trees of Peru
Trees of Nicaragua
acuminata
Plants described in 1963