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Peach palm (Bactris gasipaes)
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On the map in 2 countries palm

Peach palm

Bactris gasipaes

Family: Arecaceae

On our map this plant appears in 2 countries and ranks highest in: Costa Rica, Colombia.

A multi-stemmed palm growing 15–20 m tall, with slender trunks ringed with long black spines and a crown of pinnate leaves. It bears heavy bunches of plum-sized fruit, from yellow to deep red, with mealy, slightly oily flesh rich in starch, oil and carotenoids. The fruit has to be boiled – raw it is inedible. The palm was domesticated thousands of years ago by the peoples of the Amazon, and its young shoots also yield hearts of palm (palmito).

Description from: Costa Rica.

More: Wikipedia (en) Wikipedia (pl) Plants of the World Online (Kew)

Significance in each country

  1. Costa Rica no. 7 of 10 native

    The pejibaye was already grown by Costa Rica’s indigenous peoples, and today boiled fruit is sold at markets and by the roadside, especially at harvest time.

  2. Colombia no. 15 of 15 native

    Chontaduro is a symbol of the Afro-Colombian cuisine of the Pacific coast; in Cali and Buenaventura it is sold on the streets with salt, honey or lime, and folk tradition credits it with strengthening and aphrodisiac powers.