Astrocaryum chambira
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Astrocaryum
Species:
A. chambira
Binomial name
Astrocaryum chambira

Astrocaryum chambira, the chambira palm or chambira, is a large and spiny palm native to the Amazon Rainforest in Colombia, Ecuador,[1] Peru, and Venezuela[2] that is mostly known for its commercial value as a fiber crop. It can reach over 25 meters in height,[3] and it is not uncommon for climbing trees to be planted nearby to make harvesting the fruit and leaves both easier and safer.[4]

Indigenous people use the fibers of young leaves to weave into products such as nets, hammocks, bags, and other fabric and textile products. In most places where this fiber is used, the sale of products woven from these fibers to tourists is a major source of income,[5] though there is great geographic variation in abundance and income received for products made from these fibers.[3] In addition to the fibers, it is believed that the fruit and liquid endosperm within the seeds can help with fever reduction.[4]

References

  1. ^ "La chambira es una planta muy utilizada por indígenas en la Amazonía ecuatoriana". www.eloriente.com. Retrieved 2023-01-10.
  2. ^ Ramirez, Beatriz H.; Parrado-Rosselli, Angela; Stevenson, Pablo (2009). "SEED DISPERSAL OF A USEFUL PALM (Astrocaryum chambira Burret) IN THREE AMAZONIAN FORESTS WITH DIFFERENT HUMAN INTERVENTION". Colombia Forestal. 12 (1). ISSN 0120-0739.
  3. ^ a b Guel, Anel; Penn, Jim (2009-09-22). "Use of the chambira palm (Astrocaryum chambira) in rainforest communities of the Peruvian Amazon". Student Summer Scholars. 20.
  4. ^ a b "Agroforestry & Ethnobotany". Rainforest Conservation Fund. Archived from the original on 2006-09-27. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  5. ^ Jensen, Ole Holm; Balslev, Henrik (1995-04-26). "Ethnobotany of the fiber palm Astrocaryum chambira (Arecaceae) in Amazonian Ecuador". Economic Botany. 49 (3): 309–319. doi:10.1007/bf02862351.
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