''Oenocarpus distichus'' is a species of

palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...

, commonly occurring in the southeast of the

Amazonia The Amazon rainforest, also called the Amazon jungle or Amazonia, is a moist broadleaf tropical rainforest in the Amazon biome that covers most of the Amazon basin of South America. This basin encompasses , of which are covered by the rainf ...

. It is distinguished from the turu palm by the appearance of its opposite leaves.Clay, Jason; Paulo de Tarso B. Sampaio; e Charles R. Clement (2000). ''Biodiversidade amazônica: exemplos e estratégias de utilização'', p. 72. Manaus: INPA/SEBRAE.

Uses

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, the palm has been used by

indigenous people There is no generally accepted definition of Indigenous peoples, although in the 21st century the focus has been on self-identification, cultural difference from other groups in a state, a special relationship with their traditional territ ...

since ancient times.Pesce, Celestino (1941). ''Oleaginosas da Amazonia''. Oficina Gráfica da Revista da Veterinária; . page 31.Shanley, Patricia e Gabriel Medina (2005). ''Frutiferas e plantas uteis na vida Amazonica''. CIFOR, page. 177. . A thick wine is prepared with the kneaded

mesocarp Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Fruitlike structures may develop directly from the seed itself rather tha ...

juice, highly appreciated locally. The pulp of the fruits contains 25% oil (10% of the weight of the whole fruit) and produces a light yellow oil.LeCointe, Paul (1945). ''O Estado do Pará: a terra, agua e o ar, a fauna e a flora, mineraes''. (in portuguese) Comp. Edit. Nac.

References

{{Taxonbar, from=Q15290752 Flora of Brazil distichus