The acai, or assai, palm is a beautiful palm that grows in Brazil and other countries in South and Central America. It’s a palm in the Euterpe genus and is grown for its palm hearts, used in salads and other meals, and for its berries, which are being studied for their antioxidant properties.
There are about eight species of acai palms. They grow in wet places, to the height of 49 to 98 feet. The beautiful, feathery leaf has many narrow leaflets and can grow to nearly 10 feet long, and when dried can be woven into baskets, thatch for roofs, other construction materials, mats and brooms. The flower stalk hangs below the crown of the tree.
The acai palm is easy to grow from seed, and though it prefers the tropics, it has been grown successfully in cooler climates. It’s also a very good indoor plant. It’s easy to care for and is tolerant of low light. The best way to grow the acai palm is to plant several in one large pot.
The acai berry isn’t a berry but a drupe. A drupe is a fruit where the flesh surrounds a shell that surrounds a seed, while a berry ripens from the plant’s ovary and may have seeds embedded in it. The ripe acai fruit looks very much like a large blueberry with a large seed in its center. The fruit is a large part of the diet of many native peoples in the Amazon. The acai berry has been a large component of juices or liqueurs for many years in Brazil and now is a part of juices offered by Monavie and other producers. These Monavie juices contain not only the acai fruit, but other fruits and antioxidants as well.
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