Mauritia flexuosa

plant

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Last updated

June 30, 2026

Quick Summary

The Mauritia flexuosa is a large fan palm, also known as the buriti palm, ita palm, or moriche palm. This South American palm is characterized by its pinnate leaves and edible fruits. The plant yields a reddish fruit with seeds and pulp that are edible and oily. Additionally, the buriti palm provides a useful fiber from its stems and leaf sheaths. The sap can be used to produce wine, and the stem can yield sago.12

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palm
Economic importance
…for other crops, such as Mauritia flexuosa in waterlogged soils, the black palm in seasonally inundated areas, and Euterpe chaunostachys in swamps. Many palms, such as the sugar palm, the palmyra palm, and the sago palm, are multipurpose trees. In tropical America, the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is widely grown…
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…for other crops, such as Mauritia flexuosa in waterlogged soils, the black palm in seasonally inundated areas, and Euterpe chaunostachys in swamps. Many palms, such as the sugar palm, the palmyra palm, and the sago palm, are multipurpose trees. In tropical America, the peach palm (Bactris gasipaes) is widely grown…
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palm
Distribution
…coasts of Costa Rica, and Mauritia flexuosa is found in vast stands in inland parts of the Amazon basin. On riverine flats and coastal plains of Africa, Hyphaene compressa and Borassus aethiopum occur, often in great abundance. Freshwater swamplands in parts of New Guinea are dominated by Metroxylon sagu. Both…
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…coasts of Costa Rica, and Mauritia flexuosa is found in vast stands in inland parts of the Amazon basin. On riverine flats and coastal plains of Africa, Hyphaene compressa and Borassus aethiopum occur, often in great abundance. Freshwater swamplands in parts of New Guinea are dominated by Metroxylon sagu. Both…
Read More