Euterpe oleracea Mart., Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  yes

Threat only at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 5 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Euterpe badiocarpa Barb. Rodr.

Common name(s): [more details]

English: assai palm, cabbage palm

French: pinot

Spanish: asaí, euterpe

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Cespitose palm, with 4-20 stems, exceptionally one, to 20 m (30 m in shady areas). Propagation by seeds (recalcitrant; germination in 20-40 days) or basal shoots. The fruit is a globose berry, 1.5 cm in diameter, green turning dark green purple, or black at complete maturity; then covered by a whitish powdery layer. Large endocarp (80% of the fruit), fibrous, containing an oily endosperm. High polymorphism"  (Fruits from America).

Habitat/ecology:  (no habitat/ecology info known by PIER)

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Panama and South America (GRIN).  Eastern Amazon and Guianas, northern Brazil, Venezuela and Trinidad, in flooded areas (Fruits from America).

Presence:

Pacific
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	Kaua‘i Island	introduced cultivated	Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. (2006) Reported planted in the National Tropical Botanical Garden
State of Hawaii Hawaiian Islands	O‘ahu Island		Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.) (1997) (voucher ID: BISH 655289) Taxon name on voucher: Euterpe oleracea Mart.

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2007)

Additional information:  Additional online information about Euterpe oleracea is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Taxonomic information about Euterpe oleracea may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Bishop Museum (U.S.A. Hawaii. Honolulu.). 1997. Voucher specimen #BISH655289(Annable, C. R. 3292).

Imada, Clyde T./Staples, George W./Herbst, Derral R. 2006. Annotated checklist of cultivated plants of Hawai‘i (online searchable database).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2007. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.