Attalea phalerata Mart. ex Spreng.

A palm. It grows 20-30 m high. The trunk is 60-70 cm across. The fronds arch over. The leaves are 5-7 m long. They have leaflets along the stalk. The leaflets are grouped in threes. They are alternate and 1-1.2 m long. The flowers are along a stalk which hangs down. The fruit are carried in clusters. The fruit are oval and 6-7 cm long by 4 cm wide. There can be 200-300 fruit on a stalk. The pulp is edible.

Rainforest and savannah. Dry land forest and open areas. Found almost exclusively in very fertile, clayey soils.

A cooking oil is extracted from the seeds. The fruit is edible, sweet and fibrous. A starch is extracted from it. The palm heart is cooked and eaten. The nut is eaten.

Plants are grown from seed. The ripe fruit can be used directly as seed. In humid conditions they remain viable for 60 days. The fresh fruit is planted. They may take a year to germinate.