Oenocarpus bataua

[amazondk]

Since the Oenocarpus bataua came up on Ed´s thread about other Oenocarpus palms I went out and took a few pictures after lunch near my home today. This is the back side of an area belonging to a private university in Manaus. There are spots around Manaus with quite a few trees and I will post a few more. The O. bataua, known as the Pataua around here produces and oil nearly the same as olive oil. In fact in WWII it was used in the USA as a subitute for olive oil. It is a big tree and associated with Mauritias and other low land palms. I do not have any clear pictures of the trunk in this set. But, the comparison with the power poles does give an idea of the size of leaves on young trees.

dk

[ariscott]

Thank you for posting, Don. I am looking forward to mine. They are still in 150mm pot & growing really well. I need to pot them up to 200mm before planting them probably the end of the year. Are they closely related to Attleya? Do they get massive trunk like Attleya?

Regards, Ari

Edited April 5, 2011 by ariscott

[amazondk]

Ari,

They are more closely related to the Euterpe from what I undestand. The trunk is probably no more than 30 to 40 cms in diameter. The fruits of the Oenocarpus and Euterpe are used in pretty much the same way. Although the O. bataua has the highest oil content.

dk

[ariscott]

Oh.... that would be big enough... & perfect for the spot. Thanks Don

Regards, Ari

[aloetom]

Nice to see some pix of these.

Thanks ,

Tom

[Al in Kona]

Nice pics Don, but for me those Euterpe palms mixed in with some of your pics take first prize - very attractive!

[Mandrew968]

I can't see any of the crownshaft in those photos... It does look, from the leaf, that it's related to Attalea. Who else is growing this?

[amazondk]

Nice pics Don, but for me those Euterpe palms mixed in with some of your pics take first prize - very attractive!

Al,

It is hard to beat the Euterpe precatoria for looks. It is interesting how just a small difference in elevation allows one palm to grow and the other not. The Euterpes are just a little more on high ground than the O. bataua.

dk

[amazondk]

I took the camera along for the drive to work this morning. There is a new avenue that has been opened in Manaus connecting my part of town to the area towards downtown. Along this route there are some patches of native vegetation and some nice stands of palms. These O. bataua give a better picture of more of the trees. They are not related to Attaleas. As I mentioned they are close relatives of Euterpe. The Oenocarpus bacaba is actually quite similar and in fact there are hybredized bataua x bacaba. The juice made from the fruits of the two is quite similar as well. Although as I mentioned above the bataua has a higher oil content. And, it is a bigger tree and fruit. This little patch of urban forest is quite nice in fact. It has a good mixture of alot of our main forest palms. In fact I like to take this route just to admire the palms.

dk

This picture actually has a Oenocarpus bacaba. I thought it was an O. bataua, but on close inspection it is a bacaba.

[amazondk]

More O. bataua

Another O. bacaba. You can see who the fructescence is quite different from the bataua. But, the shape of the tree is similar.

[ariscott]

Look at that young Mauritia... very beautiful!! Thanks, Don... again.

Regards, Ari

[Mandrew968]

yes, very pretty! Does the mauritia flexuosa grow fast, there?

Edited April 6, 2011 by Mandrew968

[Kumar]

BEautiful photos Don

[amazondk]

yes, very pretty! Does the mauritia flexuosa grow fast, there?

They seem to grow pretty fast. The mauritias are all over the place. I think once they get established in the right conditions they grow quickly. The like to be wet, but not submersed all year. And, the soil is normally a sandy type with a lot of organic matter. That is why they are found naturally along stream beds. The O. bataua is similar in it´s requirements.

dk

[Mandrew968]

yes, very pretty! Does the mauritia flexuosa grow fast, there?

They seem to grow pretty fast. The mauritias are all over the place. I think once they get established in the right conditions they grow quickly. The like to be wet, but not submersed all year. And, the soil is normally a sandy type with a lot of organic matter. That is why they are found naturally along stream beds. The O. bataua is similar in it´s requirements.

dk

Mauritia flexuosa is a tough grow here--Montgomery Botanical Center has one that's 13' but if it basically doesn't grow--I think it's 20 plus years old. It takes the cold, I just don't think it likes our soil, and there's not much that can be done about it, it seems. Oenocarpus, I would like to try, but I hear it is more sensitive to the cold...

Edited April 6, 2011 by Mandrew968

[amazondk]

Andrew,

The Mauritia has a wide distribution in Brazil. But, it mostly within the same tropical latitudes and altitudes. In drier areas like with savanna vegetation the palm is common and always found in stream beds as far as I know. Even though South Florida winters are mild they are not low altitude tropical. So I would venture to say that not only the soil, which may be an issue, but also the climate. As I mentioned they also do best with a lot of water. They are really swamp palms in reality. The O. bataua is about the same. In some areas of Amazonia there are enormous stands of O. bataua. And, there even larger stands of Mauritia. A few years ago I took a plane trip from Manaus to Tabatinga which is on the border of Peru and Colombia. When we were getting close to Tabatinga we flew over virtual forests of Mauritias.

dk

[realarch]

Nice photos Don, gives a good idea of O. bataua habit and habitat.

[mike in kurtistown]

I was also on the 2006 Amazon trip. I thought that bacabas and batauas were quite easy to distinguish, whereas I sometimes confused bacabas with Attalea maripas. Bacabas have erect leaves with pendulous leaflets that have a somewhat disorderly appearance (like some Attaleas). Batauas have more horizontal leaves with stiff, regularly arranged leaflets. The leaves arch and twist like an Archontophoenix. Attached are my photos of two bacabas next to a house on the river bank, and of a bataua deep in the forest.

[amazondk]

Thanks Mike. That sure looks like Amazonas. I have a lot of young bacabas growing on my land in the country. A little while I planted a bataua down near the Mauritia grove. I have a few more seedlings to plant of them as well.

dk

[edbrown_III]

I am a bit late responding on this but went thru the photos and found a picture of the O. bacaba

Beautiful palm made the trip worth while

[amazondk]

That is is a nice tree Ed. I personally like the bacaba a lot. I have a lot of little ones on my country place. Some day they will be a great visual addition.

dk

[edbrown_III]

I was also on the 2006 Amazon trip. I thought that bacabas and batauas were quite easy to distinguish, whereas I sometimes confused bacabas with Attalea maripas. Bacabas have erect leaves with pendulous leaflets that have a somewhat disorderly appearance (like some Attaleas). Batauas have more horizontal leaves with stiff, regularly arranged leaflets. The leaves arch and twist like an Archontophoenix. Attached are my photos of two bacabas next to a house on the river bank, and of a bataua deep in the forest.

Good to hear from you Mike,

You certainly were we shared many a antartica 's at night on the river boat.

Happy times and memories

Bestregards

Ed