Characteristics
A palm with a cluster of trunks. They can be 8 m tall but only 5 cm thick. The young palms are spiny. Older trunks are smooth. They have prominent white rings. The fronds are dull green and divided along the stalk. They are 1-2 m long. The leaflets occur in groups of 2-7. They are distributed in 3 different planes. They are 30-40 cm long and 1.5-2 cm wide. The fruit occur in clusters. They are egg-shaped and purple. The flesh is juicy and edible. There are 4 slightly different varieties.
| Life form |
perennial
|
| Growth form |
tree
|
| Growth support |
-
|
| Foliage retention |
evergreen
|
| Sexuality |
monoecy
|
| Pollination |
entomogamy
|
| Spread |
-
|
| Mature width (meter) |
-
|
| Mature height (meter) |
8.0
|
| Root system |
-
|
| Rooting depth (meter) |
-
|
| Root diameter (meter) |
-
|
| Flower color |
-
|
| Blooming months |
-
|
| Fruit color |
-
|
| Fruiting months |
-
|
| Nitrogen fixer |
-
|
| Photosynthetic pathway |
-
|
Environment
It is a tropical plant. In Bolivia it grows up to 700 m altitude. It will grow on many well drained soils. It can grow in light shade but does better in full sun. It cannot tolerate frost.
| Light |
-
|
| Soil humidity |
-
|
| Soil texture |
-
|
| Soil acidity |
-
|
| Soil nutriment |
-
|
| Hardiness (USDA) |
|
Usage
The flesh of the fruit is edible and can also be made into wine.
| Uses |
-
|
| Edible
|
fruits
seeds
|
| Therapeutic use
|
-
|
| Human toxicity |
-
|
| Animal toxicity |
-
|
Cultivation
Plants are grown from seed. Seed need to be sown while fresh. Seed germinate readily. Young plants need shade but mature plants can grow in full sun.
| Mode |
seedlings
|
| Germination duration (days) |
-
|
| Germination temperacture (C°) |
-
|
| Germination luminosity |
-
|
| Germination treatment |
-
|
| Minimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Optimum temperature (C°) |
-
|
| Size |
-
|
| Vigor |
-
|
| Productivity |
-
|
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