About Attalea speciosa Mart.
Attalea speciosa Mart., commonly called babassu, babassu palm, babaçu, or cusi, is a palm native to the Amazon rainforest region in South America. It is the predominant species in the Maranhão Babaçu forests of the Brazilian states of Maranhão and Piauí. This plant has commercial value: its seeds produce edible babassu oil, which is also used in cleaners and skin-care products. The fruit is used to make products such as medicines, beauty aids, and beverages. Traditional communities of the Maranhão region produce flour from the fruit, which is commercialized as a nutritional supplement. The leaves are used as thatch for houses, and can be woven into mats for constructing house walls. The stems are used as timbers. In pasture areas of Cerrado vegetation in Brazil, the babassu palm is considered a weed. A. speciosa is monoecious: separate male and female flowers grow on the same individual plant. Both insects and wind are credited with pollinating this species.
