Assai palm, Jucara palm, Para palm

A tropical plant. It suits the hot, wet tropical lowlands. It can grow under dark conditions. They suit subtropical and temperate locations. They like a rich, well-drained soil. It grows from sea level to 1,000 m altitude. It suits hardiness zones 11-12.

Also known as:

Acai-do-sul, Acaf, Coco-de-jissara, Coco-de-palmito, Coco-de-usara, Ensarova, Icara, Imi pu'e, Jacara, Jicara, Jocara, Jucura, Jucara-branca, Jucara-vermelho, Jucoara, Jussara palm, Palmeteiro-doce, Palmito-doce, Ripa, Ripeira, Ucara palm, Yayih

Synonyms

Euterpe edulis var. clausa Mattos

Euterpe egusquizae Bertoni

Euterpe espiritosantensis Fernandes

Edible Portion

Seeds, Fruit, Cabbage, Palm heart

Where does Assai palm grow?

Found in: Asia, Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Ecuador, Guyana, India, Malaysia, Paraguay, SE Asia, Singapore, South America, Sri Lanka

Notes: There are between 7 and 18 Euterpe species. It has antioxidant properties.

Status: They are grown commercially for palm hearts in Brazil.

Growing Assai palm, Jucara palm, Para palm

Cultivation: The plants are grown from fresh seed. Seed germination can be improved by leaching the seed in water at 30°C for 72 hours. Young plants need protection from direct sun for the first few years. Seed only remain viable for 3 months.

Edible Uses: The seeds are crushed in water to produce a drink called Assai. The young shoots or cabbage is eaten, cooked or raw. The unopened flower stalk is pickled. The fruit are eaten fresh and used for juices or ice-cream.

Production: Plants grow slowly. A tree produces about 1,200-2,500 seeds each year.

Nutrition Info

per 100g edible portion

Edible Part	Energy (kcal)	Protein (g)	Iron (mg)	Vitamin A (ug)	Vitamin c (mg)	Zinc (mg)	% Water
Fruit	-	-	-	-	186	-	90.2
Fruit	116	2.1	1.1	-	2.1	1	68.6

References

Ambasta, S.P. (Ed.), 2000, The Useful Plants of India. CSIR India. p 215

Arora, R. K., 2014, Diversity in Underutilized Plant Species - An Asia-Pacific Perspective. Bioversity International. p 103

Balick, M.J. and Beck, H.T., (Ed.), 1990, Useful palms of the World. A Synoptic Bibliography. Colombia p 81, 121, 159, 347, 396, 479, 561,

Blomberry, A. & Rodd, T., 1982, Palms. An informative practical guide. Angus & Robertson. p 100

Bortolotto, I. M., et al, 2018, Lista preliminar das plantas alimenticias nativas de Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. Iheringia, Serie Botanica, Porto Alegre, 73 (supl.):101-116

Brazil: Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition. http://www.b4fn.org/countries/brazil/

Burkill, I.H., 1966, A Dictionary of the Economic Products of the Malay Peninsula. Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Vol 1 (A-H) p 1003

Coradin, L. et al (Eds), 2011, Especies Nativas da Flora Brasileira de Valor Economico Atual ou Potencial. Brasilia MMA. p 1178

Cundall, P., (ed.), 2004, Gardening Australia: flora: the gardener's bible. ABC Books. p 592

Darley, J.J., 1993, Know and Enjoy Tropical Fruit. P & S Publishers. p 83

De Castro, E. R., 2007, Fenologia reprodutiva do Palmito Euterpe edulis (Arecaceae) e sua influencia na abundancia de aves frugivoras na floresta Atlantica. Estado de Sao Paulo, Brasil.

Etkin, N.L. (Ed.), 1994, Eating on the Wild Side, Univ. of Arizona. p 137, 157

Facciola, S., 1998, Cornucopia 2: a Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications, p 28

Fagg, C. W. et al, 2015, Useful Brazilian plants listed in the manuscripts and publications of the Scottish medic and naturalist George Gardner (1812–1849). Journal of Ethnopharmacology 161 (2015) 18–29

Gibbons, M., 1993, Palms. Compact study Guide and Identifier. Sandstone. p 41

Gibbons, M., 2003, A pocket guide to Palms. Chartwell Books. p 105

Grandtner, M. M. & Chevrette, J., 2013, Dictionary of Trees, Volume 2: South America: Nomenclature, Taxonomy and Ecology. Academic Press p 246

Haynes, J., & McLaughlin, J., 2000, Edible palms and Their Uses. University of Florida Fact sheet MCDE-00-50-1 p 6

Hedrick, U.P., 1919, (Ed.), Sturtevant's edible plants of the world. p 304

Henderson, A., Galeano, G and Bernal, R., 1995, Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton. p 123

Hibbert, M., 2002, The Aussie Plant Finder 2002, Florilegium. p 100

Hist. nat. palm. 2:33, t. 32. 1824

Hunter, D., et al, 2019, The potential of neglected and underutilized species for improving diets and nutrition. Planta (2019) 250:709-729

Johnson, D.V., 1998, Tropical palms. Non-wood Forest products 10. FAO Rome. p 86, 122, 131

Jones, D.L., 1994, Palms throughout the World. Smithtonian Institution, Washington. p 57, 214

Jones, D.L., 2000, Palms of Australia 3rd edition. Reed/New Holland. p 157

Kinupp, V. F., 2007, Plantas alimenticias nao-convencionais da regiao metropolitana de Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil p 63

Kujawska, M. & Luczaj, L., 2015, Wild Edible Plants Used by the Polish Community in Misiones, Argentina. Human Ecology 43:855-869

Lorenzi, H., 2002, Brazilian Trees. A Guide to the Identification and Cultivation of Brazilian Native Trees. Vol. 01 Nova Odessa, SP, Instituto Plantarum p 295

Lorenzi, H., Bacher, L., Lacerda, M. & Sartori, S., 2006, Brazilian Fruits & Cultivated Exotics. Sao Paulo, Instituto Plantarum de Estuados da Flora Ltda. p 79

Macmillan, H.F. (Revised Barlow, H.S., et al) 1991, Tropical Planting and Gardening. Sixth edition. Malayan Nature Society. Kuala Lumpur. p 346

Martin, F.W. & Ruberte, R.M., 1979, Edible Leaves of the Tropics. Antillian College Press, Mayaguez, Puerto Rico. p 210

Oliviera V. B., et al, 2012, Native foods from Brazilian biodiversity as a source of bioactive compounds. Food Research International 48 (2012) 170-179

Recher, P, 2001, Fruit Spirit Botanical Gardens Plant Index. www.nrg.com.au/~recher/ seedlist.html p 7

Riffle, R.L. & Craft, P., 2003, An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms. Timber Press. p 336

Rufino, M. M. et al, 2010, Bioactive compounds and antioxidant capacities of 18 non-traditional tropical fruit from Brazil. Food Chemistry 121: 996-1002

Schuler, S., (Ed.), 1977, Simon & Schuster's Guide to Trees. Simon & Schuster. No. 55

USDA, ARS, National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network - (GRIN). [Online Database] National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland. Available: www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/econ.pl (10 April 2000)

World Checklist of Useful Plant Species 2020. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew