Edible Plants of the World

Acai palm, Assai palm

A tropical plant. It grows best in deep, rich soils. It can tolerate poor drainage. It often grows in swamps. It can grow in subtropical and tropical regions. It grows in areas with an annual average temperature of 26°C. The rainfall is 2750 mm per year. It suits hardiness zones 11-12. In XTBG Yunnan.

Also known as:

Acai-do-para, Anare, Asai, Ceara, Huasai, Jucara, Manaka, Manicole, Naidi, Palem euterpe, Palmiteiro, Palmito acai, Para palm, Paraipaba, Pina palm, Pina, Pinot, Podo siri, Prasara, Ucai, Wasei

Synonyms

Edible Portion

Where does Acai palm grow?

Found in: Amazon, Asia, Australia, Brazil, Central America, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guianas, Guyana, Hawaii, Indonesia, Pacific, Panama, Peru, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Venezuela

Notes: There are between 7 and 18 Euterpe species. It possibly had benefits for obese people.

Status: It is an important food in some areas in South America. The palm hearts are canned and the fruit used for acai wine.

Growing Acai palm, Assai palm

Cultivation: Plants are grown from seed. The fruit are harvested when ripe and the fruit can be planted as a seed. Seed are only viable for a short time. Fresh fruit (seed) are planted and germinate in 30-60 days.

Edible Uses: The stems are cut to obtain the palm heart which is eaten. The fruit are used to make drinks. They are also used to make wine. The fruit yield an edible oil.

Production: It can be quite fast growing. The pulp is 17% of the fruit and the seed is 83%.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part Energy (kcal) Protein (g) Iron (mg) Vitamin A (ug) Vitamin c (mg) Zinc (mg) % Water
Fruit 265 3.4 - - 9 - 41
Fruit - - - - 84 - 84.1

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