Abelmoschus esculentus (L - the University of Maine at Fort Kent

Kermath, Bennett and Pulsipher - Food Plants in the Americs
REFERENCES: Henderson et al. 1995, Henderson and Galeano 1996, IBGE
1980, Voeks 1996
Euterpe oleracea Mart. [syn. E. badiocarpa Barb. Rodr., E.
cuatrecasana Dugand, Catis martiana Cook] [incorrectly identified
as E. edulis Mart.]
FAMILY: Arecaceae or Palmae (palm)
ENGLISH: euterpe palm, heart palm, manicola palm, manicole, Pará
palm
PORTUGUESE: açaí, açaí-do-Pará, açaí-de-planta, açaí-de-touceira,
açaí-pardo, assaí, assaí-do-Pará, jiçara, joçara, juçara,
palmiteiro, palmito, palmito-açaí, palmito-doce, palmito-juçara,
piná
SPANISH: anare, asahí, asaí, manaca, morroque, naidí, palmito,
panabi, uasaí
USES/NOTES: Fruits are edible; deep maroon (sometimes yellow) fruit
juice is used in ice creams and soups, or to make beverages
generally referred to as vinho (wine) in Portuguese, often
sweetened with sugar, sometimes fermented (known in Brazil as
açaituira); kernel oil is used for cooking and in medicines; and
terminal leaf buds and hearts are of good flavor and texture and
are highly sought after for the commercial palm heart industry.
With its its cespitose (multi-stemmed) growth form, which allows
the plant to survive harvest, the tree is considered to be a more
sustainable palm heart source than species with solitary stems.
E. oleracea is the more commonly cultivated Euterpe palm for
commercial production in eastern Amazonia. Extracts from the
berries are said to have potential in dentistry for detecting
plaque on teeth. The tree makes a graceful ornamental.
NATURAL RANGE: Northeastern Venezuela through the Guianas and
eastern and central Amazonian Brazil
REFERENCES: Anderson 1988, Bennett et al. 2001, Bernal 1992, Boom
1987, Cavalcante 1991, Duke and Vásquez 1994, Elias de Paula
1975, Gómez-Beloz 2002, Guia Rural n.d., Henderson 1995,
Henderson et al. 1995, IBGE 1980, Johnston and Colquhoun 1996,
Kahn and de Granville 1992, Kermath (notes), León 1987, Mabberley
1987, Rankin de Mérona et al. 1992, Silva et al. 1977, Strudwick
and Sobel 1988, Sturtevant 1972
Euterpe precatoria Mart.
FAMILY: Arecaceae or Palmae (palm)
ENGLISH: euterpe palm, heart palm, manicola palm, mountain cabbage
PORTUGUESE: açaí-da-mata, açaí-do-Amazonas, açaí-mirim, açaísolteiro,
assaí, assaí-da-mata, assaí-mirim, guaçaí, juçara,
palmito, palmito-mole
SPANISH: asaí, chonta, huasaí, palma de rosario, palmiche de Río
Negro, palmicho, palmito, panabi, winamoru
USES/NOTES: Fruits are edible, deep maroon (sometimes yellow) fruit
juice is used in ice creams and soups, or to make beverages
generally referred to as vinho (wine) in Portuguese, sometimes
DRAFT - DO NOT DUPLICATE OR DISTRIBUTE
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