''Syagrus coronata'', commonly known as the ouricury palm, aricuri palm, or licuri palm, is a

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 ...

palm tree The Arecaceae is a family of perennial flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like and stemless plants, all commonly known as palms. Those having a tree-like form are called palm ...

that is native to eastern

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 ...

, ranging from the southern part of the state of

Pernambuco Pernambuco () is a States of Brazil, state of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region, Brazil, Northeast region of the country. With an estimated population of 9.6 million people as of 2020, making it List of Brazilian states by population, sev ...

, into the state of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-largest b ...

, south to the

Jequitinhonha River The Jequitinhonha River () flows mainly through the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. Its source lies near Diamantina in the Espinhaço Mountains at an elevation of , after which it flows northward and then east-northeastward across the uplands. ...

in the state of

Minas Gerais Minas Gerais () is a state in Southeastern Brazil. It ranks as the second most populous, the third by gross domestic product (GDP), and the fourth largest by area in the country. The state's capital and largest city, Belo Horizonte (literally ...

. The tree can live for 30-150 years, though most only live for 8-10 years on average. It plays an important role in the diets of tropical seasonally dry forest animals.

Description

''Syagrus coronata'' reaches tall with a crown of semi-plumose leaves. The blooms are bright yellow, and the plants bear fruit for most of the year.

Ecological importance

Licuri palm nuts are the main food source of Lear's macaw, making up around 95% of their diet. These nuts can grow to be one inch (2.5 cm) in width.

Threats

The destruction of small seedlings by cattle poses a threat to the plants, primarily through the destruction of concentrated groves. Those groves are vital to Lear's macaw.

Uses

''Syagrus coronata'' is the source of

ouricury wax Ouricury wax is a brown-colored wax obtained from the leaves of a Brazilian feather palm '' Syagrus coronata'' by scraping the leaf surface. Harvesting Harvesting ouricury wax is more difficult than harvesting carnauba wax, as ouricury wax does n ...

References

External links

Photos
{{Taxonbar, from=Q3285629 coronata Endemic flora of Brazil Plants described in 1826 Taxa named by Odoardo Beccari