Acrocomia is a genus of palms which is native to the Neotropics, ranging from Mexico in the north, through Central America and the Caribbean, and through South America south to Argentina.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant FamiliesGovaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
Description Acrocomia is a genus of spiny, pinnate-leaved palms which range from large trees to small palms with short, subterranean stems.
The species bears branched inflorescences which are located among the leaves. The flowers are unisexual; female flowers are born near the base of the inflorescence, while male flowers are borne towards the tips. Fruits are large, single-seeded, and vary in colour from yellow, to orange, to brown.
Acrocomia is considered to be at an early phase of development as an alternative and multipurpose crop.Ricardo Vargas‑Carpintero, Thomas Hilger, Johannes Mössinger, Roney Fraga Souza, Juan Carlos Barroso Armas, Karen Tiede andIris Lewandowski Acrocomia spp.: neglected crop, ballyhooed multipurpose palm or fit for the bioeconomy? A review, Agronomy for Sustainable Development(2021) 41:75 https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-021-00729-5
Species Acrocomia aculeata (Jacq.) Lodd. ex R.Keith - Mexico, Central America, West Indies, northern South America Acrocomia crispa (Kunth) C. Baker ex. Becc. - Cuba Acrocomia emensis (Toledo) Lorenzi - Brazil Acrocomia glaucescens Lorenzi - Brazil Acrocomia hassleri (Barb.Rodr.) W.J.Hahn - Mato Grosso do Sul, Paraguay Acrocomia intumescens Drude - Brazil Acrocomia media O.F.Cook - Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands Acrocomia mexicana Karw. ex Mart. - Yucatán, Mexico Acrocomia totai Mart. - Bolivia, Paraguay, northern Argentina, southern Brazil
References
External links Acrocomia research at the University of Hohenheim