Edible portion: Fruit, Flower shoots, Cabbage, Palm heart, Vegetable. Fruit - cooked[ 297 ]. An acquired taste, mealy and nutty in flavour[ 200 ]. The flavour is variable, ranging from bland to strong[ 303 ]. Inedible raw, it is boiled in salt water for 30 - 60 minutes, when it becomes floury-textured, oily and pleasant tasting with good nutritious qualities[ 297 , 303 ]. The fruit is always cooked, because of the presence of an alkaloid, pupunhadine[ 303 ]. The fruit is highly nutritious, being very rich in carbohydrate and protein[ 200 ]. The fruits are also ground into a flour for baking bread, cakes etc[ 297 ]. The ovoid fruit is about 6cm long[ 200 ]. The fruit palm is an energy-rich source of carbohydrates and oil; the pulp contains all the essential amino acids and is an excellent source of quality protein[ 303 ]. The mesocarp is rich in beta-carotene[ 303 ]. It is regarded as probably the most nutritionally balanced of tropical fruits; has twice the protein content of the banana and can produce more carbohydrate per ha than maize[ 324 ]. An edible oil is obtained from the seed[ 301 ]. It is called oil of macanilla[ 301 ]. The mesocarp oil has a relatively high proportion of unsaturated fatty acids, notably oleic acid, and contains no cholesterol[ 303 ]. It is used for cooking[ 303 ]. Seed - eaten raw or made into a meal to flavour drinks[ 301 ]. Consumed as nuts[ 303 ]. A salt substitute is made by cooking the spadix[ 301 ]. The cooked male flowers are used as a condiment[ 303 ]. The apical bud is cooked and eaten as a vegetable[ 301 , 763 ]. A delicacy, in some areas it is eaten as a salad[ 303 ]. Fresh, dried and canned palmito is being marketed for use in salads, soups and fillings and as roasted chips[ 303 ]. Eating the bud effectively kills the trunk since it is unable to produce side shoots[ 301 ]. Some plants in this species form multi-trunks and so harvesting the apical bud will only kill one stem, not the plant[ K ]. An important food in South America.

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.


The oil from the seeds is used as a rub to ease rheumatic pains[ 739 ]. The fruit are high in Vitamin A. The red variety has 2.76 mg of carotene while the yellow variety has 0.835 mg.

Other uses rating: High (4/5). Other Uses An oil is obtained from the seed. This species may turn out to be a better economic option than most other American oil palms. Oil levels of up to 62% of the dry weight have been reported, and there are reports that a large pot of boiling fruit can produce 2-3 kg of oil[ 303 ]. The oil separates easily when the fruits are cooked. As with other palms, it is a potential source of lauric oils. The seed is rich in saturated fatty acids, and could be used to manufacture cosmetics and soap[ 303 ]. The leaves yield thatch for houses and basket materials[ 303 ]. The spines of the plant are used in tattooing[ 46 ]. (Probably as needles[ K ].) The leaves provide a green dye for colouring fabrics[ 303 ]. The roots provide a vermicide[ 303 ]. The whole plant, including the leaf and stem parts, produces a valuable fibre for manufacturing paper[ 303 ]. Cellulose may be produced for cellophane paper and rayon[ 303 ]. Wood - exceptionally hard and strong, it has many uses[ 297 ]. Used in construction[ 46 ]. It is a durable material for bows, arrows, fishing poles, harpoons and carvings[ 303 ]. The Amerindians use the wood for flooring and panelling their houses and also fashion long spines into needles[ 303 ]. In rural Amazonia, the stem is valued for parquet, furniture, carvings and home construction[ 303 ].

Special Uses