Astrocaryum murumuru

Mart.

Murumuru palm

Arecaceae Edible: Fruit, Cabbage, Palm heart, Oil, Seeds 68 iNaturalist observations

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Summary

Astrocaryum murumuru (Portuguese common name: murumuru) is a palm native to Amazon rainforest vegetation in Brazil, which bears edible fruits. Murumuru butter, extracted from the seeds of the plant, may be used as a moisturizer. One remarkable feature of this palm is that it is covered with spines up to 30 cm (12 in) long. The murumuru palm tree grows in Brazil and around the Amazon and is one of the dominant trees in this region. It has a thick trunk and a shuttlecock-shaped, bushy crown. The nutritious, edible fruits are an important local food source and materials made from the tree, fruit, and seed kernels are commercially significant to the region. Hammocks are made from the tree's fibres. Murumuru butter is moisturizing (emollient). It is also film-forming and glossy. These qualities make it very protective. It contains vitamins and has a high content of oleic acid. The oil from the seeds is traditionally used to soften and protect hair. Murumuru butter is the white to yellowish fat obtained from the seeds of this palm.

Description

A spiny palm. It can be solitary or in clusters. The trunk can be short and underground or tall. It can be 1.5-15 m tall. The trunk can be 10-30 cm across. It has feather-like leaves. There are 38-133 leaflets on each side. The male and female flowers are separate on the same palm. The fruit are oval and 3.5-9 cm long by 2.5-4.5 cm wide. They have a brown covering. The fruit have a juicy flavour. There are several varieties.

Edible Uses

The fleshy fruit covering is eaten fresh for its juicy flavor. The seed kernels are pressed to yield oil. The cabbage (palm heart) and seeds are also edible portions.

Traditional Uses

The fleshy covering of the fruit is eaten. The seed kernels yield an oil.

This uses section is brief — help expand it

Medicinal Uses

The fleshy fruit is considered to be aromatic and aphrodisiac. A paste prepared from the fruit is used to treat sprains and fractures. (The fruit utilized for paste may actually be that of Astrocaryum sciophilum (Miquel) Pulle.)

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in lowland rainforest usually along the edges of rivers. They are often in areas which are regularly flooded. They grow at low altitudes but can be up to 900 m altitude in the Andes.

Where It Grows

Amazon, Asia, Bolivia, Brazil*, Colombia, Ecuador, Guiana, Indonesia, Peru, SE Asia, South America, Venezuela,

Cultivation

Plants are grown by seed. It can also be grown from suckers.

Other Uses

The kernel produces a very rich extract which is used by the beauty industry as an ingredient in shampoos, conditioners, and moisturizing skin care products. The oils extracted from the fruit and the seed are used as ingredients in commercial cosmetic preparations as emollients and skin conditioners. The powdered shell of the seeds is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as an abrasive. An extract of the flowers is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin consitioner. The hard endocarp of various Amazonian species is commonly used to make beads and ornaments for necklaces The stems of new leaves are used for braiding hats and making baskets. Fibres from the leaves and petioles have been suggested as an alternative source for producing paper.

Production

The fleshy layer around the seed contains 40% fat.

Other Information

The fruit are popular.

Notes

There are about 40-50 Astrocaryum species.

Synonyms

Astrocaryum chonta Mart.Astrocaryum granatum Kahn. & MillanAstrocaryum ulei Burret

Also Known As

Chonta, Chuchana, Huicungo, Palm murumuru

References (25)

Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 63, 90, 134, 389, 548, 561, 157 (Also as Astrocaryum chonta)
Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 46
Brouk, B., 1975, Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press, London. p 237
Daly, D. C., An Index of Common Names of Plants in Acre, Brazil. New York Botanical Garden Universidade Federal do Acre.
DeWalt, S. J., et al, 1999, Ethnobotany of the Tacana: Quantitative Inventories of Two Permanent Plots of Northwestern Bolivia. Economic Botany Vol. 53. No. 3. pp. 237-260 (As Astrocaryum granatum and Astrocaryum murmuru var. murumuru)

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