Want to Know More About Acai Palm
Acai (Euterpe oleracea Martius) is a palm tree from the Para region of the Amazon estuary, in the northern region of Brazil. The origins of the acai palms are in the varzea flooded forests of Brazil. Of the dozens of palm species growing in the Amazon estuary, the acai palm is the most abundant. The inner core of the thin trunk of the tree is known to North Americans as the source of hearts of palm, a salad bar delicacy. But it’s the clusters of round, dark-purple to black berry-shaped fruits that we are interested in here.
Acai palm trees grow in clumps, the roots of which are formed by successive burgeoning from a single root, similar to bamboo. Each root can reach twenty feet in height. Above the trunk, the fruits are borne in clusters of hundreds. Each acai berry is round and about a half inch in diameter. The egg-shaped fruits grow clustered into bunches and are dark purple, almost black, when mature. Fruiting occurs throughout the year, with the greatest abundance during the dry season of July to December. The acai palm only bears fruit after its third year, with maximal productivity occurring in the fifth and sixth years.
More than Just a Palm Tree
The Para region of Brazil is the main habitat for the acai palm, but not the only one. Acai has many other common names, depending on the language and location where it is cultivated. In English, acai is sometimes referred to as cabbage palm. In Brazil, it’s known as acai, acai-do-para, acai-do-baixo Amazonas, acaizeiro, assai, jicara, jucara, palmiteiro, palmito acai, and piria. (Jucara and palmito more accurately refer to acai’s relative, Euterpe edulis Mart., another palm-bearing fruit with similar properties.) In Colombia, it’s known as assai, naidi, or manaca. In Suriname, it’s referred to as manaka, pina-palm, prasara, wapoe, and wasei. Acai is also found in French Guyana, Panama, Ecuador, and Trinidad.
Related articles:
- The Hearts of Acai Palm Trees The experience with acai of most non-Brazilians has been from...
- Acai Berry Wikipedia If you are looking to find more information on the...
- What Acai Berry is Good For The fruits of acai and its relative jucara have been...
- How Do I Make Sure It’s High Quality Acai Berry Acai products have proliferated greatly in the last few years,...
- Acai Berry and Anthocyanins – Part 1 Power of Acai Berry The main type of antioxidant in...
