| Astrocaryum aculeatum | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Astrocaryum |
| Species: | A. aculeatum |
| Binomial name | |
| Astrocaryum aculeatum G.Mey. |
|
| Synonyms | |
|
Astrocaryum tucuma Mart. |
|
Astrocaryum aculeatum is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad.[1]
Contents |
Astrocaryum aculeatum is a large, solitary palm.[2]
Astrocaryum aculeatum was first described by German botanist Georg Friedrich Wilhelm Meyer in 1818 based on a specimen from the Essequibo River in Guyana.[3]
Astrocaryum aculeatum is found in and around the Amazon Basin, from Trinidad and Tobago in the north, through Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, the Brazilian states of Acre, Amazonas, Pará, Rondônia, Roraima and south through the Bolivian departments of Beni, Pando, Santa Cruz.[2]
This plant has edible fruit which may be used for production of biodiesel. Contains 50,000 i.u. per gram of pulp of Vitamin A, three times that of a carrot. It is also used to make a symbolic ring called a tucum ring.