| Oenocarpus | |
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| Oenocarpus distichus illustration circa 1890[1] | |
Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Subfamily: | Arecoideae |
| Tribe: | Euterpeae |
| Genus: | Oenocarpus Mart. |
| Synonyms[2] | |
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Oenocarpus is agenus ofpinnate-leavedpalms (Arecaceae) native toTrinidad, southernCentral andtropicalSouth America.[3][4] With ninespecies and one naturalhybrid, the genus is distributed fromCosta Rica and Trinidad in the north toBrazil andBolivia in the south.
Common names in their native range arebacaba inBrazil, andpalma milpesos (or justmilpesos) inSpanish-speaking countries. These terms may also refer to the best-known member of this genus,O. bacaba, but more precise common names exist for that species.
The fruit ofOenocarpus palms are food for various animals, such as thegreen aracari (Pteroglossus viridis) for whichO. bacaba fruit are a mainstay food. They are also locally eaten by humans, and these palms are also used infolk medicine. Their wood is useful forhandicraft and the fruits can also be used to produce oil, which is of excellent quality and was used as a substitute forolive oil during WW2.
The currently accepted species ofOenocarpus are:[2]
Authority control databases: National |
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