Açaí (Euterpe oleracea) in the daily lives of Brazilian Amazonians: an ethnobotanical summary

Outside the Brazilian Amazon, açaí is currently best known for the purple liquid produced from its fruit. Within Amazonian communities, however, nearly all of its parts are used in various ways. The leaves are twisted and knotted into a hoop to use in climbing the palm trunk when harvesting the fruit, or used as mulch. The seeds, once stripped of the mesocarp, serve as fodder for pigs and as fertilizer. The apical meristem is harvested as edible palm hearts. The trunks are used as flooring and fencing. The palm is also used in ornamental horticulture in urban areas. Some researchers note that Euterpe oleracea, along with Mauritia flexuosa and Montrichardia sp., are important in stabilizing the bank of the floodplain areas in which they grow. Given the multiple uses of this palm by people in traditional communities, the increased national and international demand for acai juice has far-reaching effects on local cultural, economic, and environmental contexts.