''Oenocarpus bataua'', the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a

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 ...

native to the Amazon rainforest. 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 tropical rainforests of South America and is abundant in the wet zones at elevations less than . Its distribution stretches from

Panamá Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Co ...

and

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 ...

to the Amazon basin ( Colombia,

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, Guianas,

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 ...

, Bolivia,

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = National seal , national_motto = "Firm and Happy f ...

).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 In biology, a rachis (from the grc, ῥάχις [], "backbone, spine") is a main axis or "shaft". In zoology and microbiology In vertebrates, ''rachis'' can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this c ...

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

sepal A sepal () is a part of the flower of angiosperms (flowering plants). Usually green, sepals typically function as protection for the flower in bud, and often as support for the petals when in bloom., p. 106 The term ''sepalum'' was coine ...

s and petals 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. Its drupes are 8–10% oil. The fresh '' meolo'' is edible too. The rachis have been used to manufacture arrows and the leaves to make baskets and construct provisional housings. Additionally, ''

Rhynchophorus palmarum The South American palm weevil, ''Rhynchophorus palmarum'', is a species of snout beetle. The adults are relatively large black beetles of approximately one and a half inch in length, and the larvae may grow to two inches in length. Biology and ...

larva A larva (; plural larvae ) is a distinct juvenile form many animals undergo before metamorphosis into adults. Animals with indirect development such as insects, amphibians, or cnidarians typically have a larval phase of their life cycle. ...

e are harvested from the palm. Pataua1

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.Pataua
The oil is used in traditional medicine to treat cough and

bronchitis Bronchitis is inflammation of the bronchi (large and medium-sized airways) in the lungs that causes coughing. Bronchitis usually begins as an infection in the nose, ears, throat, or sinuses. The infection then makes its way down to the bronchi. ...

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