Moriche palm

Scaly aguaje fruits are a favourite treat in Iquitos, and swamp forests of this palm cover huge areas of the Peruvian Amazon.

The moriche palm is a tall palm reaching 30–35 m, with a straight trunk and a crown of huge, fan-shaped leaves. It grows on waterlogged and permanently flooded land, often forming extensive, almost single-species swamp forests on peatlands. The fruits are oval and covered with rusty-red scales overlapping like roof tiles, beneath which lies a thin layer of orange, oily flesh rich in beta-carotene. The palm is dioecious – only female trees bear fruit.

Significance in the country

In the Peruvian Amazon, aguaje is one of the most important fruits: it is sold at Belén market in Iquitos, and the flesh is made into a drink called aguajina, ice cream and jams. Aguajales also form vast peatlands that store huge amounts of carbon, but they are threatened by the felling of female palms during the fruit harvest.

Where it grows

In the waterlogged lowlands of the Amazon – most extensively in Loreto (the Pastaza and Marañón basins), and also in Ucayali, San Martín, Madre de Dios, Huánuco and Amazonas.

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