The tagua or vegetable ivory is obtained from the hard white endosperm, from the seeds of the Phytelephas palm, of the Arecaceae family. What is Phytelephas Aequatorialis, Its scientific name is Phytelephas aequatorialis. Etymologically Phytelephas comes from the Greek Phyton = plant and Elephas = ivory, that is, ivory plant or vegetable ivory. The hardness of tagua and its resemblance to animal ivory has been well known for many years. The seeds regenerate and their harvest has no negative influence on the plant. This means that vegetable ivory is pretty much a renewable resource. It is both beautiful and luxurious without being a burden on the environment. This means that it can be used without significant damage to the environment. The only disadvantage is the small size of the nuts that vegetable ivory is extracted from.