American oil palm | |
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American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera) | |
Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Arecales |
Family: | Arecaceae |
Genus: | Elaeis |
Species: | E. oleifera
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Binomial name | |
Elaeis oleifera | |
Synonyms[1] | |
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Elaeis oleifera is a species of palm commonly called the American oil palm. It is native to South and Central America from Honduras to northern Brazil.[2][3][4][5]
Unlike its relative Elaeis guineensis, the African oil palm, it is rarely planted commercially to produce palm oil, but hybrids between the two species are,[6] mainly in efforts to provide disease resistance and to increase the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil.[7]