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Syagrus coronata - (Mart.) Becc.

Common Name Licuri Palm, Ouricury palm
Family Arecaceae
USDA hardiness 9-11
Known Hazards None known
Habitats Open woodland or woodland edges[200 ]. Scrubland[416 ].
Range S. America - eastern Brazil.
Edibility Rating    (3 of 5)
Other Uses    (3 of 5)
Weed Potential No
Medicinal Rating    (2 of 5)
Care (info)
Tender Well drained soil Moist Soil Full sun
Syagrus coronata Licuri Palm, Ouricury palm


edibleplants.org
Syagrus coronata Licuri Palm, Ouricury palm
Alex Popovkin - Flickr

 

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Summary


Physical Characteristics

 icon of manicon of cone
Syagrus coronata is an evergreen Tree growing to 10 m (32ft) by 6 m (19ft) at a slow rate.
See above for USDA hardiness. It is hardy to UK zone 10.
It is noted for attracting wildlife.
Suitable for: light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and prefers well-drained soil. Suitable pH: mildly acid, neutral and basic (mildly alkaline) soils. It cannot grow in the shade. It prefers dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought. The plant can tolerates strong winds but not maritime exposure.

UK Hardiness Map US Hardiness Map

Synonyms

Calappa coronata (Mart.) Kuntze Cocos coronata Mart. Cocos quinquefaria Barb. Rodr. Glaziova treubiana Becc. Syagrus quinquefaria (Barb.Rodr.) Becc. Syagrus treubiana (Becc.) Becc.

Habitats

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Apical bud  Fruit  Oil  Seed  Stem
Edible Uses: Oil

Fruit - raw[301 , 416 ]. The pulp of the fruit is eaten by local peoples[301 ]. Fibrous, with a slightly sweet flavour[416 ]. The fruit is about 26mm long x 20mm wide[200 ]. Leaves - cooked[768 ]. The apical bud, often known as a 'palm heart', is eaten as a vegetable[768 ]. Eating this bud leads to the death of the tree because it is unable to make side shoots[K ]. The seed is sometimes eaten[63 , 416 , 419 ]. A non-drying oil is obtained from the seed[46 , 301 ]. It is used to make margarine[46 , 301 ]. The pith of the stem is used to make bread[301 ].

References   More on Edible Uses

Medicinal Uses

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 useful for treating wounds caused by stingrays[739 ].

References   More on Medicinal Uses

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Other Uses

Oil

Agroforestry Uses: The plant is seen as an indicator of fertile soils in the wild[419 ]. Other Uses: A wax, known as 'licuri wax' is obtained by scraping the leaves[419 ]. It is used for making torches[768 ]. An oil obtained from the seed is used for making soap[768 ]. The dried leaves are used for making dusters, hats, brooms etc[419 ]. The seeds are used in making rosaries[419 ]. The wood is moderately heavy, hard, of low durability when exposed to the elements[419 ]. It is only used locally for building construction[419 ]. An important role in the diets of tropical seasonally dry forest animals. Grown as an ornamental.

Special Uses

Carbon Farming

References   More on Other Uses

Cultivation details

Industrial Crop: Wax  Management: Standard  Regional Crop  Staple Crop: Oil

A plant for the humid tropics and subtropics, growing naturally in areas of seasonal rainfall[200 ]. Easily grown in a sunny position[314 ]. Succeeds even in calcareous soils[314 ]. Found mainly in very fertile soils, even if they are dry and gravelly[419 ]. A very slow-growing tree[419 ]. Plants can flower through most of the year[419 ]. Probably one of the more drought and wind tolerant Syagrus species and one of the few prone to rot if overwatered.

Carbon Farming

  • Industrial Crop: Wax  Water resistant, malleable substances. Currently, most commercial wax is made from paraffin - a fossil fuel.
  • Management: Standard  Plants grow to their standard height. Harvest fruit, seeds, or other products. Non-Destructive management systems.
  • Regional Crop  These crops have been domesticated and cultivated regionally but have not been adopted elsewhere and are typically not traded globally, Examples in this broad category include perennial cottons and many nuts and staple fruits.
  • Staple Crop: Oil  (0-15 percent protein, 16+ percent oil). Some of these are consumed whole while others are exclusively pressed for oil. Annuals include canola, poppyseed, maize, cottonseed, sunflower, peanut. Perennials include high-oil fruits, seeds, and nuts, such as olive, coconut, avocado, oil palm, shea, pecan, and macadamia. Some perennial oil crops are consumed whole as fruits and nuts, while others are exclusively pressed for oil (and some are used fresh and for oil).

References   Carbon Farming Information and Carbon Sequestration Information

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Propagation

Seed - best sown as soon as it is ripe in a deeply shaded position in a nursery seedbed. Germination can be very slow and can take 12 months[419 ]. When the seedlings are 8 - 12cm tall, pot them up into individual containers. They grow away slowly and can take a year or more before they are ready to plant out[419 ].

Other Names

If available other names are mentioned here

Ouricury palm, Queen palm, Nicuri, Ouricuri palm, Aricuri, Uricuri, Alicuri

Native Plant Search

Search over 900 plants ideal for food forests and permaculture gardens. Filter to search native plants to your area. The plants selected are the plants in our book 'Plants For Your Food Forest: 500 Plants for Temperate Food Forests and Permaculture Gardens, as well as plants chosen for our forthcoming related books for Tropical/Hot Wet Climates and Mediterranean/Hot Dry Climates. Native Plant Search

Found In

Countries where the plant has been found are listed here if the information is available

Asia, Australia, Brazil, Chile, India, Peru, South America

Weed Potential

Right plant wrong place. We are currently updating this section. Please note that a plant may be invasive in one area but may not in your area so it’s worth checking.

None Known

Conservation Status

IUCN Red List of Threatened Plants Status : This taxon has not yet been assessed

Related Plants
Latin NameCommon NameHabitHeightHardinessGrowthSoilShadeMoistureEdibleMedicinalOther

Growth: S = slow M = medium F = fast. Soil: L = light (sandy) M = medium H = heavy (clay). pH: A = acid N = neutral B = basic (alkaline). Shade: F = full shade S = semi-shade N = no shade. Moisture: D = dry M = Moist We = wet Wa = water.

 

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Author

(Mart.) Becc.

Botanical References

Links / References

For a list of references used on this page please go here
A special thanks to Ken Fern for some of the information used on this page.

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Subject : Syagrus coronata  
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