Phytelephas aequatorialis
Encyclopedia
The palm tree
Phytelephas aequatorialis, commonly known as Ecuadorean Ivory Palm, is the main source of Ecuador
ean vegetable ivory
or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory
. This palm is found in the tropical rainforests
of Ecuador. It has a woody trunk which can grow to 20 m in height and very long pinnate leaves.
The plants are dioecious
, with the female individuals bearing large brown conical fruits, each approximately the size of a grapefruit and covered in a horned husk, containing usually four seeds. Immature seeds contain sweet edible pulp. Mature seeds are harder than wood and are encased in a bonelike shell. The endosperm
is a white hemicellulose
material that is so hard it can be polished and carved like ivory. (The plant's genus
name Phytelephas means "elephant plant".) Three other species in this genus are sources of vegetable ivory
as well.
The edible immature seeds are often dispersed by rainforest rodents such as agoutis
. In some rural areas the trees are used to attract rodents, which are then captured for their meat.
The palms are occasionally cultivated as a cash crop
. International conservation
organizations pay farmers for vegetable ivory in hopes that interest in the product will lead to resources being allotted for the protection of rainforests and the preservation of its flora.
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...
Phytelephas aequatorialis, commonly known as Ecuadorean Ivory Palm, is the main source of Ecuador
Ecuador
Ecuador , officially the Republic of Ecuador is a representative democratic republic in South America, bordered by Colombia on the north, Peru on the east and south, and by the Pacific Ocean to the west. It is one of only two countries in South America, along with Chile, that do not have a border...
ean vegetable ivory
Vegetable ivory
Vegetable ivory is a product made from the very hard white endosperm of the seeds of certain palm trees. Vegetable ivory is named for its resemblance to elephant ivory. Species in the genus Phytelephas, native to South America are the most important sources of vegetable ivory...
or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory
Ivory
Ivory is a term for dentine, which constitutes the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals, when used as a material for art or manufacturing. Ivory has been important since ancient times for making a range of items, from ivory carvings to false teeth, fans, dominoes, joint tubes, piano keys and...
. This palm is found in the tropical rainforests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests
Tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests , also known as tropical moist forests, are a tropical and subtropical forest biome....
of Ecuador. It has a woody trunk which can grow to 20 m in height and very long pinnate leaves.
The plants are dioecious
Plant sexuality
Plant sexuality covers the wide variety of sexual reproduction systems found across the plant kingdom. This article describes morphological aspects of sexual reproduction of plants....
, with the female individuals bearing large brown conical fruits, each approximately the size of a grapefruit and covered in a horned husk, containing usually four seeds. Immature seeds contain sweet edible pulp. Mature seeds are harder than wood and are encased in a bonelike shell. The endosperm
Endosperm
Endosperm is the tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein. This makes endosperm an important source of nutrition in human diet...
is a white hemicellulose
Hemicellulose
A hemicellulose is any of several heteropolymers , such as arabinoxylans, present along with cellulose in almost all plant cell walls. While cellulose is crystalline, strong, and resistant to hydrolysis, hemicellulose has a random, amorphous structure with little strength...
material that is so hard it can be polished and carved like ivory. (The plant's genus
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
name Phytelephas means "elephant plant".) Three other species in this genus are sources of vegetable ivory
Vegetable ivory
Vegetable ivory is a product made from the very hard white endosperm of the seeds of certain palm trees. Vegetable ivory is named for its resemblance to elephant ivory. Species in the genus Phytelephas, native to South America are the most important sources of vegetable ivory...
as well.
The edible immature seeds are often dispersed by rainforest rodents such as agoutis
Common agouti
The popular term Agouti designates several rodent species of the genus Dasyprocta that inhabit areas of Middle America, the West Indies, and northern South America. They are related to guinea pigs and look quite similar but have longer legs. The species vary in color from tawny to dark brown with...
. In some rural areas the trees are used to attract rodents, which are then captured for their meat.
The palms are occasionally cultivated as a cash crop
Cash crop
In agriculture, a cash crop is a crop which is grown for profit.The term is used to differentiate from subsistence crops, which are those fed to the producer's own livestock or grown as food for the producer's family...
. International conservation
Conservation movement
The conservation movement, also known as nature conservation, is a political, environmental and a social movement that seeks to protect natural resources including animal, fungus and plant species as well as their habitat for the future....
organizations pay farmers for vegetable ivory in hopes that interest in the product will lead to resources being allotted for the protection of rainforests and the preservation of its flora.