Attalea butyracea

Attalea butyracea
(Mutis ex. L.f.) Wess.Boer.


Original
reference:

Pittieria 17: 312 (1988)


Basionym:
Cocos butyracea Mutis ex L.f.


Morphology:
Canopy palm. Stem solitary, to 25 m tall and 30-55 cm in diameter, sometimes with persistent bases on the distal part. Leaves arching, with twisted leaf axis so that the distal part of the blade stands in a vertical plane; pinnae to 200 on each side, regularly inserted in one plane, the central ones 120-160 cm long and 6-7 cm wide, with prominent, wavy cross veins. Inflorescence erect, ca. 1 m long, with 100-300 branches, to 30 cm long. Male flowers pale yellow, with club shaped petals 10-20 mm long, and 6 stamens of the same length as the petals. Female flowers 5-25 per branch, ca. 15 mm long. Fruits 1-4 per branch, light brown to orange at maturity, 5-12 cm long, with 1-3 seeds.



Distribution:
Widespread in Central America and W South America from Mexico to Bolivia, mostly below 300 m elevation.
In Ecuador it occurs E of the Andes, often in relatively large stands in flood-plain forest.


Common
names:

Conambo

Spanish

(B. Bergmann #62131).

Lucata

Quichua

(H.B. Pedersen #97654 and additional references).

Shapaja

Quichua

(B. Bergmann #62131 and additional references).

´Andecu tssatssa´vo´

Cofán

(C. Ceron #368).

Uses:

Seeds are edible and very appreciated, rich in oil and vitamins; the immmature endosperm has a taste like coconut
(B. Bergmann #62131).

Synonym
list
(1)

Specimen
list