Acrocomia
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| Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex Mart. |
Acrocomia aculeata, the sole species in the genus Acrocomia, is a species of palm native to tropical regions of the Americas, from southern Mexico and the Caribbean south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Common names include Grugru Palm, Macaúba Palm, Coyol Palm, and Macaw Palm; synonyms include A. lasiospatha, A. sclerocarpa, A. totai, and A. vinifera.
It grows to 15-20 m tall, with a trunk up to 50 cm diameter, characterized by numerous slender, black, viciously sharp 10 cm long spines jutting out from the trunk. The leaves are pinnate, 3-4 m long, with numerous slender, 50-100 cm long leaflets. The flowers are small, produced on a large branched inflorescence 1.5 m long. The fruit is a yellowish-green drupe 2.5-5 cm in diameter, containing a single, dark brown, nutlike seed 2-3 cm diameter, which is very tough to break. The inside is a dry white filling that has a vaguely sweet taste when eaten.
[edit] Uses
The plant can in a wide variety of climates and situations, but is generally limited to areas of South America; in Paraguay, for example, where it is ubiquitous, it is called the coco paraguayo (Paraguayan coconut), as it is much less common in the rest of the world. It has been suggested that grugru nut, which come in mass numbers from each tree, can be used in the manufacture of biodiesel. The grugru nut, while very hard, can be sliced into thin circles to be sanded and worn as rings.
The trunk of the coyol palm can also be 'milked' to yield a fermented beverage known as coyol wine. (This use does, however, result in the death of the tree.) The wine causes inebriation not primarily by its alcohol content, but through enzymatic action triggered when one drinks it and then receives significant sun exposure. It is popularly claimed that one can become inebriated at night, regain sobriety by the next day, and then undergo inebriation again in the morning without even consuming any more, merely by being exposed to the sun again.
