Euterpe (plant)

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Euterpe
Acaizeiro no palacio.JPG
Euterpe oleracea
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Arecoideae
Tribe: Euterpeae
Genus: Euterpe
Mart.
Type species
Euterpe oleracea
Synonyms [1]
  • Catis O.F.Cook
  • PlectisO.F.Cook
  • RooseveltiaO.F.Cook

Euterpe is a genus of palm trees, containing eight species that are native to Central America and the Yucatan, the West Indies, and South America, from Belize and the Windward Islands southward to Brazil, Peru and Argentina. [1] [2] These palms grow mainly in swamps and floodplains.

The genus is named after the muse Euterpe of Greek mythology. Euterpe are tall, slender palms growing to 15–30 metres (49–98 ft), with pinnate leaves up to 3 metres (9.8 ft) long, and a stem only about 100 millimetres (3.9 in) in diameter. Many of the palms that were once in the genus Euterpe have been reclassified into the genus Prestoea. [3]

The fruit is small, but is produced in great quantity upon branched spadices, which are thrown out horizontally beneath the crown of leaves. It consists of a hard seed, with a very thin covering of a firm pulp or flesh. [4]

The name açaí palm usually refers to Euterpe oleracea , [5] [6] but various other species of Euterpe are cultivated commercially under that name.

Uses

A beverage called açaí, much used at Pará and other places on the Amazon River, is prepared from the fruit of certain species. Warm water is poured upon the fruit, and by rubbing and kneading, a liquid is procured, consisting simply of the pulp of the fruit and water. It is a thick, creamy liquid, of a purplish color, and a flavor like that of a freshly gathered nut. It is commonly used with bread made from manioc, and either with or without sugar. [4]

The stem of the açaí palm is sometimes used for poles and rafters, and its terminal bud as a cabbage or as a salad with, oil and vinegar. [4]

Species

Accepted species: [1]

ImageScientific nameDistribution
Euterpe broadwayi Becc. ex BroadwayWindward Islands, Trinidad & Tobago
Euterpe catinga WallaceGuyana, Venezuela, Colombia, Peru, Brazil
Euterpe edulis Mart. (21682905780).jpg Euterpe edulis MartBrazil, Paraguay, Misiones Province of Argentina
Euterpe longibracteata Barb.Rodr.Guyana, Venezuela, Brazil
Euterpe luminosa (Scott Zona) 001.jpg Euterpe luminosa A.J.Hend., Galeano & MezaPasco Province of Peru
Euterpe oleracea (29575745576).jpg Euterpe oleracea Mart.Trinidad & Tobago, the Guianas, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Ecuador
Euterpe precatoria (19866677541).jpg Euterpe precatoria Mart.widespread across much of Central America, South America, and Trinidad

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<i>Hyphaene thebaica</i> Species of plant

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Açaí palm</span> Palm tree with many uses, mainly fruit as cash crop

The açaí palm, Euterpe oleracea, is a species of palm tree (Arecaceae) cultivated for its fruit, hearts of palm, leaves, and trunk wood. Global demand for the fruit has expanded rapidly in the 21st century, and the tree is cultivated for that purpose primarily.

<i>Bactris gasipaes</i> Species of palm

Bactris gasipaes is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of Central and South America. It is well spread in these regions, where it is often cultivated by smallholders in agroforestry systems or more rarely, in monoculture. Common names include peach palm in English, among others used in South American countries. It is a long-lived perennial plant that is productive for 50 to 75 years on average. Its population has an important genetic diversity, leading to numerous fruits, colors, and qualities. The fruits are edible and nutritious but need to be cooked for 30 minutes to five hours. They also benefit many animals in the wild. Peach-palms are also cultivated for the heart of palm, and the trunk can make valuable timber.

<i>Attalea maripa</i> Species of palm

Attalea maripa, commonly called maripa palm is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It grows up 35 m (115 ft) tall and can have leaves or fronds 10–12 m (33–39 ft) long. This plant has a yellow edible fruit which is oblong ovoid and cream. An edible oil can be extracted from the pulp of the fruit and from the kernel of the seed.

<i>Bactris</i> Genus of palms

Bactris is a genus of spiny palms which are native to Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean. Most species are small trees about 2 m tall, but some are large trees while others are shrubs with subterranean stems. They have simple or pinnately compound leaves and yellow, orange, red or purple-black fruit. The genus is most closely related to several other spiny palms—Acrocomia, Aiphanes, Astrocaryum and Desmoncus. The fruit of several species is edible, most notably B. gasipaes, while others are used medicinally or for construction.

<i>Syagrus</i> (plant) Genus of palms

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<i>Borassus</i> Genus of palms

Borassus is a genus of five species of fan palms, native to tropical regions of Africa, Asia, and Papua New Guinea.

<i>Roystonea</i> Genus of palms

Roystonea is a genus of eleven species of monoecious palms, native to the Neotropics, in the Caribbean, the adjacent coasts of Florida in the United States, Mexico, Central America and northern South America. Commonly known as the royal palms, the genus was named after Roy Stone, a U.S. Army engineer. It contains some of the most recognizable and commonly cultivated palms of tropical and subtropical regions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Açaí oil</span> Oil used in foods and cosmetics

Açaí oil is obtained from the fruit of Euterpe oleracea, which grows in the Amazon rainforest. The oil is rich in phenolic compounds similar in profile to the pulp itself, such as vanillic acid, syringic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid and ferulic acid as well as (+)-catechin and numerous procyanidin oligomers.

<i>Oenocarpus bacaba</i> Species of palm

Oenocarpus bacaba is an economically important monoecious fruiting palm native to South America and the Amazon rainforest, which has edible fruits. This plant is cited in Flora Brasiliensis by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius. It can reach up to 20–25 metres tall and 15–25 cm in diameter. It grows in well-drained sandy soils of the Amazon basin.

<i>Borassus flabellifer</i> Palmyra palm, toddy palm

Borassus flabellifer, commonly known as doub palm, palmyra palm, tala or tal palm, toddy palm, lontar palm, wine palm, ထန်းပင် (htan-pin) or ice apple, is a fan palm native to South Asia and Southeast Asia. It is reportedly naturalized in Socotra and parts of China.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vanillic acid</span> Chemical compound

Vanillic acid is a dihydroxybenzoic acid derivative used as a flavoring agent. It is an oxidized form of vanillin. It is also an intermediate in the production of vanillin from ferulic acid.

<i>Euterpe precatoria</i> Species of palm

Euterpe precatoria is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate-leaved palm native to Central and South America and Trinidad and Tobago. E. precatoria is used commercially to produce fruits, although Euterpe oleracea is more commonly cultivated due to its larger fruits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protocatechuic acid</span> Chemical compound

Protocatechuic acid (PCA) is a dihydroxybenzoic acid, a type of phenolic acid. It is a major metabolite of antioxidant polyphenols found in green tea. It has mixed effects on normal and cancer cells in in vitro and in vivo studies.

<i>Roystonea borinquena</i> Species of palm

Roystonea borinquena, commonly called the Puerto Rico royal palm, is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands.

<i>Roystonea oleracea</i> Species of palm

Roystonea oleracea, sometimes known as the Caribbean royal palm, palmiste, imperial palm or cabbage palm, is a species of palm which is native to the Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. It is also reportedly naturalized in Guyana and on the islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

<i>Euterpe edulis</i> Species of palm

Euterpe edulis, commonly known as juçara, jussara, açaí-do-sul or palmiteiro, is a palm species in the genus Euterpe. It is now predominantly used for hearts of palm. It is closely related to the açaí palm, a species cultivated for its fruit and superior hearts of palm. The larvae of Caligo brasiliensis are reported to feed on E. edulis.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
  2. Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. Riffle, 2003.
  4. 1 2 3 Gilman, D. C.; Peck, H. T.; Colby, F. M., eds. (1905). "Assai"  . New International Encyclopedia (1st ed.). New York: Dodd, Mead.
  5. Del Pozo-insfran, D.; Percival, S. S.; Talcott, S. T. (2006). "Açai (Euterpe oleraceaMart.) Polyphenolics in Their Glycoside and Aglycone Forms Induce Apoptosis of HL-60 Leukemia Cells". Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry. 54 (4): 1222–1229. doi:10.1021/jf052132n. PMID   16478240.
  6. Pachecopalencia, L.; Hawken, P.; Talcott, S. (2007). "Phytochemical, antioxidant and pigment stability of açai (Euterpe oleracea Mart.) as affected by clarification, ascorbic acid fortification and storage". Food Research International. 40 (5): 620–628. doi:10.1016/j.foodres.2006.11.006.