Oenocarpus distichus Mart.

A solitary palm. It grows to about 20 m tall. The trunk is fairly straight. It is 30 cm wide. It is light grey with rings of dark leaf scars. The leaves are arranged alternately in two ranks. This gives a flat appearance from the side. Each leaf has a prominent, swollen, olive-green sheathing base. This forms a false crown-shaft. The leaves are 3.3-5 m long. There are many narrow leaflets arranged irregularly in groups along the leaf stalk. These leaflets are 1 m long and olive green. They hang down creating a curtain like effect. The large flowering stalks hang down. The fruit are 1.5 cm long and purple-black. The fruit can have white or red pulp.

Dryland forests and the transitional vegetation of the savannahs. Lowland rainforest, as well as in somewhat drier areas on the margins on savannah. Grows in areas not subject to seasonal inundation at elevations up to 350 metres.

The fruit are eaten raw or used for wine. Fruit that are white fleshed make a better drink than red fleshed kinds. The pulp of the fruit yields an edible oil.

Plants are grown from seed. Seed germinate readily. They take 2-4 months to germinate.