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Attalea humilis

Mart. ex Spreng.

Pindoba, Catole

Arecaceae Edible: Fruit, Seeds - oil 63 iNaturalist observations

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(c) Geovane Siqueira, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Geovane Siqueira

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(c) Diego Monsores, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Diego Monsores

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(c) Robison Araújo Silva, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC), uploaded by Robison Araújo Silva

Description

A palm. The stems are short and underground or less than 1 m high. There are 4-15 leaves which are spreading. The leaflets are arranged regularly and in one plane. The flowering stalk is amongst the leaves and short stalks. The male flowers have flattened petals and 6 straight stamens. The fruit have 1-3 seeds. They are oval and 4-9 cm long by 2.5-8 cm wide. They are brownish.

Edible Uses

The fruit and seeds are edible; oil can be extracted from the seeds.

Distribution

A tropical plant. It grows in low forest near the sea on the Atlantic coast of Brazil often forming large colonies.

Where It Grows

Brazil*, South America,

Notes

There are between (22) 30-71 Attalea species. Some authorities divide them among Attalea, Orbignya, Scheela and Maximiliana.

Synonyms

Attalea borgesiana Bondar ex DahlgrenAttalea borgesiana of A.D. HawkesAttalea compta var. acaulis Mart.

Also Known As

Coco-pindoba

References (4)

  • Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 131
  • Bircher, A. G. & Bircher, W. H., 2000, Encyclopedia of Fruit Trees and Edible Flowering Plants in Egypt and the Subtropics. AUC Press. p 48
  • Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 161
  • Kermath, B. M., et al, 2014, Food Plants in the Americas: A survey of the domesticated, cultivated and wild plants used for Human food in North, Central and South America and the Caribbean. On line draft. p 108

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