Orbignya cohune

Corozo palm

Useful reference: 461

An oil palm, usually growing wild, bearing relatively large fruit with a thick hard shell containing one or more kernels. The palms are usually tall (up to 20 m), and the fruits grow in bunches measuring about 1 m in length and weighing 20-25 kg. Several species of the genera Scheelea and Attalea are also called corozo palm because of the difficulty of distinguishing them from the genus Orbignya. The corozo palm nuts are processed chiefly by the soap industries. The resulting oilcake is highly palatable. It is chiefly used for livestock, but it has also been included with good results in pig diets at levels up to 30% and in poultry diets at a level of 10%. The proportion of corozo meal in the diet can, however, be increased to 50%.