| Astrocaryum murumuru | |
|---|---|
| |
| Drying murumuru seeds | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Astrocaryum |
| Species: | A. murumuru
|
| Binomial name | |
| Astrocaryum murumuru | |
| Synonyms | |
| |
Astrocaryum murumuru (Portuguese common name: murumuru) is a palm native to Amazon Rainforest vegetation in Brazil, which bears edible fruits. Murumuru butter, extracted from the seeds of the plant, may be used as a moisturizer.[1] One remarkable feature of this palm is that it is covered with spines up to twelve inches (30 centimeters) in length.[2]
The murumuru palm trees grow in Brazil and around the Amazon and are one of the dominant trees in this region. It has a thick trunk and a shuttlecock-shaped, bushy crown. The nutritious, edible fruits are an important local food source and materials made from the tree, fruit, and seed kernels are commercially significant to the region. Hammocks are made from the tree’s fibres. Murumuru butter is moisturizing (emollient). It is also film-forming and glossy. These qualities make it very protective. It contains vitamins and has a high content of oleic acid. The oil from the seeds is traditionally used to soften and protect hair. Murumuru butter is the white to yellowish fat obtained from the seeds of the murumuru palm.
- ^ Daswani, Kavita (13 June 2010). "Makeup and skin products that are fresh, new and natural". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 10 July 2010.
- ^ Henderson, Andrew (1995). Palms of the Amazon. New York: Oxford Univ. Press. p. 244.