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Other Names: "Poor Man's Fruit," Acaizeiro, Juçara, Manaka, Palmito
Related To:
[Arecaceae] Coconut, Buriti, Salak
Main Uses:
Fruit, Palm Hearts
Growth Rate:
Fast
Mature Height/Spread:
20-30 feet. The commercial, large-fruiting "Pará Dwarf" cultivar grows to 20 feet and begins fruiting at 4 feet.
Flowering/Pollination:
Male and female flowers on the same tree; self-fertile. Acai flowers and fruits throughout the year, with a main production season lasting from July to December.
Tolerance:
Little salt tolerance. Little drought tolerance.
Soil/Nutrition:
Moist jungle soils, slightly acidic, fertile. Tolerates flooding and wet feet; native to floodplains.
Light:
Light shade to full sun.
Wind:
Fairly sturdy tree, but should be protected from strong, or cold winds.
Temperature:
Will not survive drops below freezing.
Dangers:
None.
Diseases Prone:
Bearing Age:
3-4 years from seed.
Fruit:
Dark purple/black berries are harvested and used primarily as a drink preparation, by macerating the fresh fruit. The fruit has a rich, slightly viscous cocoa-berry taste.
History/Origin:
This species is native to the Amazon, particularly concentrated in the Brazilian state of Pará, where it is grown extensively on modern plantations. In the wild, where it occurs by the millions, it is very common in floodplains along the rivers of northern South America, and is an important food source, providing both fresh nutritious berries, as well as a reasonably sustainable source of palm hearts.
In major cities of the Amazon, 400,000 lbs of this fruit may be sold in a single day. Acai is a cheap and abundant food source throughout the Amazon.
Species Observations:
This species can be grown in extreme southern Florida and the keys, provided it is given a moist, acidic soil environment. Give this species protection from strong/northern winds and it should grow and fruit.
Propogation:
By seeds or divisions.
Container Culture:
Possible, especially with smaller cultivars such as "Pará Dwarf"
Medicinal Uses:
Occasionally used for astringent properties.
Nutritional Information:
Acai is a rich source of anthocyanins, a common antioxidant found in berries and plant foods. Acai should be consumed fresh, as it's anthocyanins are relatively unstable, and therefore highly perishable.
Preparation / Food:
Freshly harvested berries are soaked and/or mashed into water, then strained for fresh juice, which is often made with the addition of sugar and manioc (tapioca) flour.
Hearts of palm, though practically devoid of nutritional value, are harvested and enjoyed, having a very fine flavor. Euterpe species are considered among the best flavored hearts of palm.
Regarding Acai Products
As with mangosteen (garcinia mangostana) and noni (morinda citrifiolia), there is a considerable recent US market for Acai berry preparations in juice, powder and capsule form. One juice has even claimed to utilize the "whole fruit, including the kernel," a rock-hard seed that is mostly wooden. How exactly this would be accomplished without special equipment, as well as it's intrinsic health value, is questionable. As with other "superfruits," acai products carry a hefty price tag. In the United States, Acai is many times more costly than any freshly prepared equivalent in Brazil, where acai is so cheap and abundant that it is known as "poor man's fruit."
Ignoring the prolific marketing efforts and optimistic health claims, it should be pondered how a tree with such a valuable fruit can simultaneously be grown, harvested, and exported as for palm hearts. Palm hearts are a very cheap product, shipped worldwide from Brazil, for which harvesting effectively kills the fruiting trunks of the tree. The hearts of palm, harvested from felled specimens of euterpe oleracea fetch a mere $1.49 a can. The macerated, juiced fruits of euterpe oleracea fetch upwards of $40 a bottle (1 liter)!
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"Tree is in fine shape and budding! Packing was exceptional. Thank you so much!"
- Satisfied Customer 1
"WOW, Plant is 10X better than expected. Great condition. Thank you very much."
- Satisfied Customer 2
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