Orbignya speciosa

Babassu

Useful reference: 269

A wild fan-shaped palm, native to Brazil, up to 20 m tall with large curved leaves reaching 9 m in length. Its bunches of oblong or conical fruit are often 1 m long. After flowering, the palm bears two to four clusters of about 250 fruits each twice a year. Each nut consists of an extremely hard shell containing two to six kernels held by a hard fibrous layer. The oilcake is palatable but may cause scouring if used in large proportions. This effect has been attributed to its magnesium content (0.97%). It is used in the same way as coconut meal.