Bactris bifida is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub or tree with spiny stems and leaves, and purple to black fruits. The species is native to Brazil, Colombia, and Peru.
Bactris bifida was described in 1826, and is listed as of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Taxonomy The species was described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1826.
Distribution Bactris bifida is native to the wet tropical biome of northern Brazil (Acre and Amazonas), Colombia (Amazonas), and Peru (Huánuco, Loreto, San Martín, and Ucayali).
It grows in lowland rainforests, at elevations of up to .
Description Bactris bifida is a shrub or tree with clumping stems that grow high, and wide. It has yellow prickles, which are up to long.
The plant has four to ten leaves, which are long, and usually simple. The leaves have a metallic sheen when dry, and have scattered brown or black spines, which are up to long. The leaves have smooth edges. The leaf stems are long.
The inflorescence stem is long, straight or slightly curved, and not spiny. The male flowers are deciduous, long, and have sepal lobes. The male flowers have petals, and six stamens. The female flowers are long, and have a tube-shaped calyx. The corolla is tube-shaped, and long.
The fruits are long, wide, narrowly ellipsoid or ovoid, purple to black, and sometimes have small spines. The mesocarp is juicy, and the endocarp is ellipsoid.
Uses Bactris bifida is used for food.
Conservation In 2022, the IUCN assessed Bactris bifida as of Least Concern.
Nomenclature In Portuguese, the species is known as , , or . In Spanish, the species is known as or .
References