Juçara palm

The juçara palm grows between 10 and 20 metres tall. It has a single trunk, called a stipe, that is between 5 and 15 cm wide. The trunk is slender, sleek, and cylindrical, and is a bright green colour typical of this palm. The leaves are pinnate, arching, and can grow up to 3 metres in length.

The palm has branched, hanging inflorescences that grow under the leaves. The small male flowers are abundant, whiteish in colour, and grow in a panicle. The female flowers are similar to the male flowers but are slightly larger.

A woody spathe resembling a hard leaf opens longitudinally to protect the inflorescences. The fruits on this palm (1 to 1.5 cm) start out green and turn purple and then nearly black when ripe. Each fruit contains just one hard, spherical seed.

Palms are herbaceous plants. Unlike trees, they don’t form true trunks as they don’t undergo secondary growth (thickening of the trunk).