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Acrocomia aculeata

Table of Contents

Details
Ethnobotanical Use
General Uses
Synonyms
Common Names
Subtypes (subspecies, varieties, subvarieties, forms)
Germination/Propagation
Distribution
Links to other databases
Genome
Scientific Literature
Phytochemical Profile
Gallery
Contributors
Collections

Details Top

Internal ID UUID644002d76cd0f658177983
Scientific name Acrocomia aculeata
Authority Lodd. ex Mart.
First published in Hist. Nat. Palm. iii. 66. tt. 286 (1823).

Ethnobotanical Use Top

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General Uses Top

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Common products:
The primary commercial product is seed (kernel) oil. The oily mesocarp pulp also yields oil of culinary interest. Roasted seeds and the mesocarp are processed into food ingredients in Brazil.

Food and beverages (non-medicinal):
Edible seed oil and mesocarp oil are used for cooking and frying. Roasted seeds and mesocarp are processed into flour and flour blends, confectionery fillings, and flour-based baked goods in regional food industries in Brazil.

Industrial and craft applications:
Seed oil is used in soap making and as a potential biodiesel feedstock. Fatty acid profiles dominated by medium-chain C12–C14 fatty acids and a saturated/unsaturated ratio near 0.9 support these applications.

Properties relevant to use:
Seed oil shows high lauric acid content (~50–65%) and a C12/C14 predominance that favors biodiesel properties such as a high cetane number and favorable kinematic viscosity; the mesocarp oil is more unsaturated. Saponifiable matter exceeds 95%, indicating suitability for soap base applications.

Sustainability and sourcing:
A native Neotropical palm, A. aculeata regenerates naturally on abandoned and degraded lands and can be integrated into agroforestry systems, offering income diversification for smallholders while supporting biodiversity and soil conservation. Wild harvest and ex situ cultivation supply seeds for oil and food processing.

Synonyms Top

Scientific name Authority First published in
Palma mocaia Aubl. Hist. Pl. Guiane 2: 976 (1775)
Palma spinosa Mill. Gard. Dict. ed. 8 : n.º 3 (1768)
Astrocaryum sclerocarpum hort. ex H.Wendl. Palmiers : 232 (1878)
Bactris globosa Gaertn. Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 22 (1788)
Bactris pavoniana Mart. Voy. Amér. Mér. 7(3): 70 (1844)
Acrocomia antiguana L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 8: 142 (1949)
Acrocomia antioquiensis Posada-Ar. Bull. Soc. Bot. France 25: 184 (1878)
Acrocomia belizensis L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 445 (1941)
Acrocomia christopherensis L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 8: 140 (1949)
Acrocomia chunta Covas Revista Argent. Agron. 8: 2 (1941)
Acrocomia cubensis Lodd. ex H.Wendl. Index Palm. : 1 (1854)
Acrocomia fusiformis Sweet Hort. Brit. : 432 (1826)
Acrocomia glaucophylla Drude Fl. Bras. 3(2): 392 (1881)
Acrocomia globosa Lodd. ex Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 286 (1845)
Acrocomia grenadana L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 8: 144 (1949)
Acrocomia guianensis Lodd. ex G.Don Hort. Brit. : 382 (1830)
Acrocomia horrida Lodd. ex Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 286 (1845)
Acrocomia hospes L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 449 (1941)
Acrocomia ierensis L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 473 (1941)
Acrocomia karukerana L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 466 (1941)
Acrocomia lasiospatha Mart. Voy. Amér. Mér. 7(3): 81 (1844)
Acrocomia mexicana Karw. ex Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 285 (1845)
Acrocomia microcarpa Barb.Rodr. Vellosia , ed. 2, 1: 107 (1891)
Acrocomia minor Lodd. ex G.Don Hort. Brit. : 382 (1830)
Acrocomia mokayayba Barb.Rodr. Pl. Jard. Rio de Janeiro 5: 11 (1896)
Acrocomia odorata Barb.Rodr. Palm. Mattogross. Nov. : 48 (1898)
Acrocomia panamensis L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 444 (1941)
Acrocomia pilosa León Mem. Soc. Cub. Hist. Nat. ''Felipe Poey'' 14: 52 (1940)
Acrocomia quisqueyana L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 471 (1941)
Acrocomia sclerocarpa var. wallaceana Drude Fl. Bras. 3(2): 391 (1881)
Acrocomia sphaerocarpa Desf. Tabl. École Bot. , ed. 3: 30 (1829)
Acrocomia spinosa (Mill.) H.E.Moore Gentes Herbarum 9: 238 (1963)
Acrocomia subinermis León ex L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 4: 474 (1941)
Acrocomia tenuifrons Lodd. ex Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 3: 286 (1845)
Acrocomia ulei Dammer Notizbl. Königl. Bot. Gart. Berlin 6: 266 (1915)
Acrocomia viegasii L.H.Bailey Gentes Herbarum 8: 139 (1949)
Acrocomia vinifera Oerst. Vidensk. Meddel. Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 1858: 47 (1859)
Acrocomia wallaceana Becc. Pomona Coll. J. Econ. Bot. 2: 362 (1912)
Acrocomia zapotecis Karw. ex H.Wendl. Palmiers : 230 (1878)
Cocos aculeata Jacq. Select. Stirp. Amer. Hist. : 278 (1763)
Cocos fusiformis Sw. Fl. Ind. Occid. 1: 616 (1797)
Bactris minor Gaertn. Fruct. Sem. Pl. 1: 9 (1788)
Acrocomia erioacantha Barb.Rodr. Contr. Jard. Bot. Rio de Janeiro 2: 85 (1902)
Acrocomia media O.F.Cook Bull. Torrey Bot. Club 28: 566 (1901)
Acrocomia sclerocarpa Mart. Hist. Nat. Palm. 2(pt. 3): 66, tt. 56. 57. 100-fig. 5 (1824)

Common names Top

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Language Common/alternative name
English coroso
English grugru palm
English paraguay palm
English mucuja palm
English macaúba palm
English macauba palm
English coyol palm
English ruffle palm
English macaw palm
English palma de coroso
Spanish totai
Spanish totaí
Spanish palmera mbocayá
Spanish palmera mbocaya
Spanish palma mbocayá
Spanish gru gru
Spanish palma mbocaya
Spanish nuez del paraguay
Spanish mbocayá
Spanish mbocaya
Spanish grugru
Spanish cocotero paraguayo
Spanish coco paraguayo
Spanish coco del paraguay
Czech akrokomie mexická
German macauba-palme
gn mokaje
ht kòwòs
Dutch coyolpalm
Portuguese coco-baboso
Portuguese coco-de-espinho
Chinese 格魯椰子
Chinese 格魯椰
Chinese 格鲁椰子
Chinese 刺茎椰子

Subspecies (abbr. subsp./ssp.) Top

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Varieties (abbr. var.) Top

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Subvarieties (abbr. subvar.) Top

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Forms (abbr. f.) Top

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No forms added yet.

Germination/Propagation Top

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No germination or propagation data was added yet.

Distribution (via POWO/KEW) Top

Legend for the distribution data:
- Doubtful data
- Extinct
- Introduced
- Native
  • Northern America
    • Mexico
      • Mexico Gulf
      • Mexico Southeast
      • Mexico Southwest
  • Southern America
    • Brazil
      • Brazil North
      • Brazil Northeast
      • Brazil Southeast
      • Brazil West-central
    • Caribbean
      • Cuba
      • Dominican Republic
      • Haiti
      • Jamaica
      • Leeward Islands
      • Puerto Rico
      • Trinidad-Tobago
      • Venezuelan Antilles
      • Windward Islands
    • Central America
      • Belize
      • Costa Rica
      • El Salvador
      • Guatemala
      • Honduras
      • Nicaragua
      • Panamá
    • Northern South America
      • French Guiana
      • Guyana
      • Suriname
      • Venezuela
    • Western South America
      • Colombia

Links to other databases Top

Suggest others/fix!
Database ID/link to page
World Flora Online wfo-0000486739
USDA Plants ACME2
Tropicos 2400862
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:3550-2
The Plant List kew-2592
IPNI 3550-2
iNaturalist 364166
GBIF 2739205
Freebase /m/0661mvf
EOL 247521
USDA GRIN 1368
Wikipedia Acrocomia_media
UNII 1T8HT7TEWM
Tropicos 2401428
INPN 629015
KEW urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:663914-1
The Plant List kew-2570
Open Tree Of Life 817259
NCBI Taxonomy 169987
NBN Atlas NHMSYS0021195843
IUCN Red List 201622
IPNI 663914-1
iNaturalist 244459
GBIF 2739148
Freebase /m/09vwnk
EPPO AARSC
EOL 245325
USDA GRIN 1388
Wikipedia Acrocomia_aculeata
Open Tree Of Life 817259
PFAF Acrocomia aculeata

Genomes (via NCBI) Top

Below is displayed the reference genome only!
If you wish to browse all genomes for this plant click here.
Accession Assembly
Name Level Submitter Released Coverage Size
GCA_058219215.1 ASM5821921v1 Chromosome ESALQ 2026-06-16 123 1.87 Gb

Scientific Literature Top

Below are displayed the latest 15 articles published in PMC (PubMed Central®) and other sources (DOI number only)!
If you wish to see all the related articles click here.
Title Authors Publication Released IDs
Wild capuchin monkeys use stones and sticks to access underground food Valença T, Oliveira Affonço G, Falótico T Sci Rep 06-May-2024
PMCID:PMC11074112
doi:10.1038/s41598-024-61243-8
PMID:38710945
Unraveling the genetic diversity of Ceiba pubiflora (Malvaceae) in isolated limestone outcrops: Conservation strategies Brandão MM, de Almeida Vieira F, Neves AG, dos Santos RM, de Carvalho D, Menezes EV, de Moreira PA, de Oliveira DA, Júnior AF, Royo VD PLoS One 01-Apr-2024
PMCID:PMC10984428
doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0299361
PMID:38557644
Purification and use of crude green glycerol from the transesterification of triglycerides in the formulation of an alcohol gel hand sanitizer Trindade Mazala T, Costa Viana M, Carneiro G, Lee Nelson D, de Freitas-Marques MB, De Martinis BS, Florêncio J, Mazzé FM, da Silva SG, Barbosa SL Sci Rep 06-Mar-2024
PMCID:PMC10917745
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-49422-5
PMID:38448502
Transmission ecology of Trypanosoma cruzi by Rhodnius prolixus (Reduviidae: Triatominae) infesting palm-tree species in the Colombian Orinoco, indicates risks to human populations Urbano P, Hernández C, Velásquez-Ortiz N, Ballesteros N, Páez-Triana L, Vega L, Urrea V, Ramírez A, Muñoz M, Ibarra-Cerdeña CN, González C, Ramírez JD PLoS Negl Trop Dis 20-Feb-2024
PMCID:PMC10906903
doi:10.1371/journal.pntd.0011981
PMID:38377140
Somatic embryogenesis from mature sorghum seeds: An underutilized genome editing recipient system Wu H, Zhang K, Li J, Wang J, Wang Y, Yu J, Cong L, Duan Y, Ke F, Zhang F, Liu Z, Lu F, Zhang Z, Zou J, Zhu K Heliyon 13-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10770613
doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23638
PMID:38187328
Ethnobotanical contributions to global fishing communities: a review Mendoza JN, Hanazaki N, Prūse B, Martini A, Bittner MV, Kochalski S, Macusi E, Ciriaco A, Mattalia G, Sõukand R J Ethnobiol Ethnomed 02-Dec-2023
PMCID:PMC10693712
doi:10.1186/s13002-023-00630-3
PMID:38042774
Complete chloroplast genomes of six neotropical palm species, structural comparison, and evolutionary dynamic patterns Francisconi AF, Marroquín JA, Cauz-Santos LA, van den Berg C, Martins KK, Costa MF, Picanço-Rodrigues D, de Alencar LD, Zanello CA, Colombo CA, Hernández BG, Amaral DT, Lopes MT, Veasey EA, Zucchi MI Sci Rep 23-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10667357
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-44631-4
PMID:37996522
Selection of Mexican Medicinal Plants by Identification of Potential Phytochemicals with Anti-Aging, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anti-Oxidant Properties through Network Analysis and Chemoinformatic Screening Barrera-Vázquez OS, Montenegro-Herrera SA, Martínez-Enríquez ME, Escobar-Ramírez JL, Magos-Guerrero GA Biomolecules 20-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10669844
doi:10.3390/biom13111673
PMID:38002355
Lentinula edodes lignocellulolases and lipases produced in Macaúba residue and use of the enzymatic extract in the degradation of textile dyes da Luz JM, de Souza Lopes L, da Silva MD, Vieira NA, Cardoso WS, Kasuya MC 3 Biotech 18-Nov-2023
PMCID:PMC10657344
doi:10.1007/s13205-023-03827-1
PMID:37987024
New Therapeutic Strategies for Obesity and Its Metabolic Sequelae: Brazilian Cerrado as a Unique Biome Monteiro-Alfredo T, Macedo ML, de Picoli Souza K, Matafome P Int J Mol Sci 25-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10648839
doi:10.3390/ijms242115588
PMID:37958572
Medicinal Plants Used for Eye Conditions in Mexico—A Review Salazar-Gómez A, Velo-Silvestre AA, Alonso-Castro AJ, Hernández-Zimbrón LF Pharmaceuticals (Basel) 09-Oct-2023
PMCID:PMC10610470
doi:10.3390/ph16101432
PMID:37895904
Meta-analysis of the responses of tree and herb to elevated CO2 in Brazil da Silva Fortirer J, Grandis A, Pagliuso D, de Toledo Castanho C, Buckeridge MS Sci Rep 22-Sep-2023
PMCID:PMC10517018
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-40783-5
PMID:37739974
Mate-choice for close kin is associated with improved offspring survival in Lodoicea maldivica, the largest-seeded plant in the world Morgan EJ, Kaiser-Bunbury CN, Edwards PJ, Fleischer-Dogley F, Kettle CJ Sci Rep 18-Sep-2023
PMCID:PMC10507110
doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41419-4
PMID:37723314
Acrocomia aculeata associated with doxorubicin: cardioprotection and anticancer activity Monteiro-Alfredo T, dos Santos JM, Antunes KÁ, Cunha J, da Silva Baldivia D, Pires AS, Marques I, Abrantes AM, Botelho MF, Monteiro L, Gonçalves AC, Botelho WH, Paula de Araújo Boleti A, Cabral C, Oliveira PJ, Lucas dos Santos E, Matafome P, de Picoli Souza K Front Pharmacol 16-Aug-2023
PMCID:PMC10466431
doi:10.3389/fphar.2023.1223933
PMID:37654604
Soil Carbon Stocks and Greenhouse Gas Mitigation of Agriculture in the Brazilian Cerrado—A Review de Carvalho AM, de Jesus DR, de Sousa TR, Ramos ML, de Figueiredo CC, de Oliveira AD, Marchão RL, Ribeiro FP, Dantas RD, Borges LD Plants (Basel) 26-Jun-2023
PMCID:PMC10347215
doi:10.3390/plants12132449
PMID:37447015

Phytochemical Profile Top

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Below are displayed the proven (via scientific papers) natural compounds!
You can also contribute to this by clicking here.
Name PubChem ID Canonical SMILES MW Found in Proof
> Organic oxygen compounds / Organooxygen compounds / Carbohydrates and carbohydrate conjugates / Monosaccharides
(2R,3S,4S,5R,6S)-6-[[(2R,3S,4R,5R,6S)-3,4,5,6-tetrahydroxyoxan-2-yl]methoxymethyl]oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol 11724913 Click to see 342.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-6865(96)00019-2
6-[(3,4,5,6-Tetrahydroxyoxan-2-yl)methoxymethyl]oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol 73074441 Click to see 342.30 unknown https://doi.org/10.1016/S0031-6865(96)00019-2

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