About Euterpe precatoria Mart.
The stems of Euterpe precatoria Mart. are usually solitary, and only occasionally clustered. They grow between 3 and 20 metres tall, with a diameter of 4 to 23 centimetres. It is estimated to be the most common tree species in the Amazonian region, although it makes up just over 1% of all adult trees in that area: 5 billion out of 390 billion total. This count only covers the Amazon basin; many additional individuals grow in the Orinoco Basin and Central America. Euterpe precatoria is a non-timber forest product that produces açaí berries. In addition to its edible fruits, this palm provides highly valued hearts of palm, which are not very nutritious. Because this is typically a single-stemmed palm, harvesting hearts of palm kills the tree, which has caused a reduction in the species' population. During the 1990s, this palm was heavily harvested for palmito (hearts of palm) in Peru and Bolivia. Production dropped in the early 2000s due to overharvesting, and wild populations are now uncommon, so prices for the product are currently high in Peru.
