| Euterpe precatoria | |
|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| (unranked): | Angiosperms |
| (unranked): | Monocots |
| (unranked): | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Euterpe |
| Species: | E. precatoria |
| Binomial name | |
| Euterpe precatoria Mart.[1] |
|
Euterpe precatoria is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palm native to Central and South America and Trinidad and Tobago. E. precatoria is used commercially to produce fruits.[2]
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Stems are usually solitary (occasionally clustered), 3–20 metres tall and 4–23 centimetres in diameter.[3]
Two varieties are recognised: E. precatoria var. precatoria[4] which has tall, solitary stems and is found in Trinidad and throughout most of the South American portion of the range,[3] and E. precatoria var. longivaginata (Mart.) A.J.Hend.[5] which has shorter, solitary or clustered stems, and is found in Colombia and Central America.[3]
Common names include mountain cabbage in Belize, açai, açaizeiro, açaí-do-amazonas or açaí-solitário in Brazil, asaí and palmiche in Colombia, wassaï in French Guiana, huasi in Peru and manaca in Venezuela.[3] The stems are used for construction, a beverage is made from the fruit, and the roots are used medicinally.[3]