Bactris major   Jacq.

Common Name: VISCOYOL

Common evergreen treelet (3-6 m) found growing in very wet - even inundated - soils. Never solitary, Viscoyol forms dense, impenetrable stands of pole-like trunks and palm leaves. Almost every part of the plant is covered by long, extremely sharp spines that are capable of piercing the skin on contact. Still, the palm produces racemes of juicy, edible, good-tasting - but difficult to obtain - fruits.

Description: Viscoyol has a thin, cylindrical trunk (4 cm) of uniform diameter. (As is the case with all palms, the stem does not increase in girth as the palm grows taller). Rarely perfectly straight, these boles tend to bow or curve as they extend toward the canopy. Leaf scars ring the stem at regular intervals and these carry many, long (5 cm) needle-sharp, black spines. The palm's single, above-ground growth region is located at the end of the bole, in the center of the leaf whorl. This region (known as the apical bud or the heart-of-palm) is responsible for the production of all foliage and for the vertical growth of the tree. Its leaves are therefore concentrated at the extreme tip of the stem, with the remainder of the bole left leafless and branchless (palms are truly monopodial). Viscoyol leaves (called fronds) are typical of the family: they are large (1 m by 0.4 m), alternate, and pinnately compound. Two rows of very long (7 cm), thin, and dangerously sharp spines protrude ventrally from the mid-rib, while the ribbon-like leaflets emerge from above. New leaves are produced, one at a time, from the apical bud all year long. Each appears as a vertically oriented, sword-like shaft that later unfolds and slowly rotates laterally from its vertical position at the top of the tree. A broad-based petiole encircles the trunk and supports the frond during its lifetime. This structure eventually detaches from the stem when the leaf is shed. Flowers (8 mm) are produced in large racemes from leaf axils. During development, these racemes are protected by stiff, bowl-shaped, spiny coverts. Each blossom consists of three white, stiff petals and an equal number of sepals and stamens. Flowers may be observed at any time during the year but appear to be most abundant in November and December. Fruits (3.5 cm) are nearly spherical, pale green or tan structures that grow from the same racemes. Each has a thin, woody outer rind and a sweet, juicy layer of pulp underneath. A single large seed occupies the core. Racemes ripen year round, but harvests are most intense from July to September. This peak in fruiting activity lags behind its floral counterpart by six months - indicative of the long development time for the drupes of this species.

Similar Species: Viscoyol palms are readily identified by their small stature, typical palm leaves, and abundant, sharp spines. Chontadura (Astrocaryum confertum) is the only other common wild palm with such menacing armour, but this is a tree of much larger girth and stature (10-15 m).

Natural History: Viscoyol flowers are frequented by bees - especially the black, stingless variety known locally as "cachucas" (Trigona sp.) The fruits are eaten by large mammals and appear to be among the favorite foods of white-faced and squirrel monkeys. Viscoyol's omnipresent spines are evidently for protection: intended to keep unwanted leaf or fruit eating predators from climbing trunks and damaging plants. However, the nimble and quick squirrel monkeys appear to be undeterred - indeed, even undelayed - by such a daunting defense. They manage to climb Viscoyol trunks rapidly, without even appearing to consider where to place their hands and feet, in order to obtain ripe fruits. Such a feat of eye-hand coordination is even more remarkable when one contemplates the tremendous stakes involved for these animals. Should they inadvertently be jabbed by a sharp spine, they run the very real risk of contacting an ultimately lethal bacterial infection - living in a world without tweezers, needles, antiseptics, and antibiotics. Evolutionary biologists often make reference to the co-evolution of two species that maintain a close relationship over an extended period of time. Under this scenario, two organisms that share the same habitat change together over the eons, each producing adaptations that are a direct response to some characteristic, behavior or trait of the other. For example, a plant may evolve some defensive adaptation (spines) that enables it, for a time, to evade tenacious herbivores very effectively. Eventually, one herbivore may evolve the correct counter-adaptation (e.g. acute vision and manual dexterity) that renders the plant's initial defense useless. Then the plant may counter with a new deterrent (a noxious chemical) that again succeeds in thwarting the plant eating animal for a while. This process may be repeated successively, adaptations accumulating, until ultimately a pair of closely knit organisms are produced. In the case of the Viscoyol palm and the squirrel monkey, the plant's prickly defense is still effective against the majority of herbaceous predators. The monkey, able to avoid the spines, forages for fruit and ultimately aids the palm by dispersing its seeds. Thus closely adapted to eachother, both organisms benefit.

Uses: Viscoyol fruits are edible, sweet and juicy. The stems of these trees are made of a rather brittle, easily-split wood that has been used to make partitions between rooms. Longitudinally sectioned, Viscoyol stems are quite uniform and make an effective wall covering.

Distribution: Viscoyol has been collected in Belize, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Peru.

Tree    Fruit