Euterpe precatoria is a tall, slender-stemmed, pinnate

Pinnate

Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...

-leaved palm

Arecaceae

Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...

 native to Central

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

 and South America

South America

South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...

 and Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago

Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...

. E. precatoria is used commercially to produce fruits.

Biological description

Stems are usually solitary (occasionally clustered), 3–20 metres tall and 4–23 centimetres in diameter.

Varieties

Two varieties are recognised: E. precatoria var. precatoria which has tall, solitary stems and is found in Trinidad

Trinidad

Trinidad is the larger and more populous of the two major islands and numerous landforms which make up the island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. It is the southernmost island in the Caribbean and lies just off the northeastern coast of Venezuela. With an area of it is also the fifth largest in...

 and throughout most of the South American portion of the range, and E. precatoria var. longivaginata (Mart.) A.J.Hend.

Andrew Henderson (botanist)

Andrew James Henderson is a palm-systematist and Curator of the Institute of Systematic Botany at the New York Botanical Garden. He has authored taxonomic descriptions of 140 species, subspecies and varieties of plants, especially in the palm family...

 which has shorter, solitary or clustered stems, and is found in Colombia and Central America

Central America

Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...

.

Etymology

Common names include mountain cabbage in Belize

Belize

Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...

, açai, açaizeiro, açaí-do-amazonas or açaí-solitário in Brazil

Brazil

Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...

, asaí and palmiche in Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

, wassaï in French Guiana

French Guiana

French Guiana is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations, Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west...

, huasi in Peru

Peru

Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....

 and manaca in Venezuela

Venezuela

Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...

. The stems are used for construction, a beverage is made from the fruit, and the roots are used medicinally.

Synonymy

Synonyms:
E. precatoria var. precatoria
Heterotypic synonyms

• Euterpe oleracea Engel, nom. illeg.
• Euterpe mollissima Spruce, nom. illeg.
• Euterpe jatapuensis Barb.Rodr.
  João Barbosa Rodrigues
  João Barbosa Rodrigues was a Brazilian botanist and engineer.He was born in São Gonçalo do Sapucaí and raised in Campanha, in the State of Minas Gerais, Brazil. He returned to Rio de Janeiro with his family in 1858. He first dedicated to the commerce, but he was always interested in natural...
  
  
• Euterpe stenophylla Trail ex Burret
• Euterpe langloisii Burret
  Max Burret
  Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret, commonly known as Max Burret was a German botanist.Burret was born in Saffig near Andernach in the Prussian Rhine Province. He originally studied law at Lausanne and Munich at the instigation of his father...
  
  
• Euterpe petiolata Burret
• Euterpe subruminata Burret
• Euterpe confertiflora L.H.Bailey
  Liberty Hyde Bailey
  Liberty Hyde Bailey was an American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.-Biography:...
  
  

E. precatoria var. longivaginata
Homotypic synonyms

• Euterpe longivaginata Mart.

Heterotypic synonyms

• Euterpe macrospadix Oerst.
  Anders Sandøe Ørsted (botanist)
  Anders Sandøe Ørsted, also written as Anders Sandoe Oersted or Anders Sandö Örsted was a Danish botanist, mycologist, zoologist and marine biologist. He was nephew of the brothers physicist H.C...
  
  
• Euterpe karsteniana Engel
• Euterpe leucospadix H.Wendl.
  Hermann Wendland
  Hermann Wendland was a German botanist and gardener.He was a noted authority on the family Arecaceae , on which he published a major monograph which formed the basis for the modern classification of the family, including many of the generic names currently in use.The South American palm genus...
  
   ex Hemsl.
  William Hemsley (botanist)
  William Botting Hemsley was an English botanist and 1909 Victoria Medal of Honour recipient....
  
  
• Plectis oweniana O.F.Cook
  Orator F. Cook
  Orator Fuller Cook was an American botanist, entomologist, and agronomist. Cook, born in Clyde, New York in 1867, graduated from Syracuse University in 1890. He worked for one year as an instructor at Syracuse. In 1891 Cook became a special agent of the New York State Colonization Society. He...
  
  
• Euterpe kalbreyeri Burret
• Euterpe microcarpa Burret
• Euterpe panamensis Burret
• Rooseveltia frankliniana O.F.Cook
• Euterpe rhodoxyla Dugand