Moriche Palm
Encyclopedia
The Moriche Palm, Mauritia flexuosa, also known as the Ité Palm, Ita, Buriti, or aguaje (Peru), is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet areas in tropical South America
.
It is an elegant tree which can reach up to 35 metres in height. The large leaves form a rounded crown. The flowers are yellowish, and appear from December to April. The fruit, which grows from December to June, is a chestnut colour and is covered with shiny scales. The yellow flesh covers a hard, oval, nut. The seeds float, and this is the means by which the palm tree propagates.
In natural populations the tree reaches very high densities.
The Moriche Palm fruit is edible, has a high vitamin C
content, and used to make juice, jam, ice cream, and a fermented "wine
". An oil high in vitamin A
is extracted from the pulp and is frequently used to treat burns because of its soothing qualities. The inflorescence
bud
s are eaten as a vegetable, and the sap can be drunk fresh or fermented (see palm wine
). Threads and cords are locally produced from the tree's fibers.
Buriti oil is an orange-reddish oil extracted from the fruit of the Moriche palm. The oil contains high concentrations of oleic acid
, tocopherols and carotenoids, especially betacarotene. Recently it has been found to filter and absorb cancer-causing UV rays from the sun.
This tree is important to many animal species, several bird species, such as the Red-bellied Macaw
, Sulphury Flycatcher
and Moriche Oriole
, use it for nesting and food. Many ungulates, fish and monkeys depend on the fruit
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...
.
It is an elegant tree which can reach up to 35 metres in height. The large leaves form a rounded crown. The flowers are yellowish, and appear from December to April. The fruit, which grows from December to June, is a chestnut colour and is covered with shiny scales. The yellow flesh covers a hard, oval, nut. The seeds float, and this is the means by which the palm tree propagates.
In natural populations the tree reaches very high densities.
The Moriche Palm fruit is edible, has a high vitamin C
Vitamin C
Vitamin C or L-ascorbic acid or L-ascorbate is an essential nutrient for humans and certain other animal species. In living organisms ascorbate acts as an antioxidant by protecting the body against oxidative stress...
content, and used to make juice, jam, ice cream, and a fermented "wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
". An oil high in vitamin A
Vitamin A
Vitamin A is a vitamin that is needed by the retina of the eye in the form of a specific metabolite, the light-absorbing molecule retinal, that is necessary for both low-light and color vision...
is extracted from the pulp and is frequently used to treat burns because of its soothing qualities. The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
bud
Bud
In botany, a bud is an undeveloped or embryonic shoot and normally occurs in the axil of a leaf or at the tip of the stem. Once formed, a bud may remain for some time in a dormant condition, or it may form a shoot immediately. Buds may be specialized to develop flowers or short shoots, or may have...
s are eaten as a vegetable, and the sap can be drunk fresh or fermented (see palm wine
Palm wine
Palm wine also called Palm Toddy also called "Kallu" written in Malayalam and கள்ளு in Tamil or simply Toddy is an alcoholic beverage created from the sap of various species of palm tree such as the palmyra, and coconut palms...
). Threads and cords are locally produced from the tree's fibers.
Buriti oil is an orange-reddish oil extracted from the fruit of the Moriche palm. The oil contains high concentrations of oleic acid
Oleic acid
Oleic acid is a monounsaturated omega-9 fatty acid found in various animal and vegetable fats. It has the formula CH37CH=CH7COOH. It is an odorless, colourless oil, although commercial samples may be yellowish. The trans isomer of oleic acid is called elaidic acid...
, tocopherols and carotenoids, especially betacarotene. Recently it has been found to filter and absorb cancer-causing UV rays from the sun.
This tree is important to many animal species, several bird species, such as the Red-bellied Macaw
Red-bellied Macaw
The Red-bellied Macaw, Orthopsittaca manilata, is a medium-sized, mainly green parrot. It is the only species of the genus Orthopsittaca, and it does not have any subspecies....
, Sulphury Flycatcher
Sulphury Flycatcher
The Sulphury Flycatcher is a passerine bird which is a localised resident breeder from Trinidad, the Guianas and Venezuela south to Amazonian Peru, northern Bolivia and Brazil....
and Moriche Oriole
Moriche Oriole
The Moriche Oriole, Icterus cayanensis chrysocephalus, is a passerine bird in the New World family Icteridae. It is unrelated to Old World orioles . It is a breeding resident in the tropics of eastern South America...
, use it for nesting and food. Many ungulates, fish and monkeys depend on the fruit