Oenocarpus mapora

Abstract

The fruits of this palm are similar in many respects to those produced by Oenocarpus bacaba and O. distichus, but O. mapora can be easily distinguished from its cousins because it tends to form clumps along river and stream banks and the trunks are much more slender. It is hard to distinguish “natural” stands of the palm from those that have arisen from discarded seeds or plantings around rural houses. Oenocarpus mapora is found in central and western Amazonia and reaches north into Venezuela and parts of Central America. The fruits are gathered to make a much appreciated juice. Since the trunk has no spines, people either shimmy up the trunk to gather the fruits or use a ladder. Children use catapults to knock down the fruits. The sturdy trunks are used for posts and flooring in some areas and the trunks of young specimens were once used to fashion blowguns.