Tropical Plant "Catole"
Syagrus cearensis

Characteristics - Syagrus cearensis is a fruit bearer, occasionally cultivated as an ornamental, and still found in its natural habitat in Ceara, Pernambuco, Paraiba and Alagoas. It is found in the seasonal vegetation, on hills and sierras, along the Atlantic coast, as well in the transitional areas of the caatinga or scrublands. A cespitose palm, it forms clumps with 2-5 arched stems; it is occasionally solitary, 4-10 m tall; the trunk is ringed, 10-28 cm in diameter. Leaves are pinnate, streight, 3-4 m long, 10-15 per stem with 100-130 pairs of pinnae irregularly distributed in groups of 2-5 and arranged on various planes along the rachis. Fruits are globose and have a thick, yellow, fibro-mucilagenous pulp with a slightly sweet flavor.

Uses - The fruits are consumed in their natural state, both the mesocarp (pulp) and the nut. Occasionally, they are being commercialized.

Propagation - Propagated by seeds.