Açaí palm

The Açaí palm (Assai palm) is a type of palm tree. There are seven different types of  Açaí palms. The tree grows in Central and South America. It has a black-purple fruit about the size of a grape called a euterpe. The seed inside is very big. The fruit grows in bunches of 700 to 900 fruits.

The palms are mainly used for two things: First, salads called palmitos (heart of palm) can be made from the leaves; for this, the tree needs to be cut down. Secondly, the fruits can be made into a fruit juice that is said to be very healthy.

Images

 References 

 Other websites 
Pictures of Açaí palms trees and fruit  from an article by The Nature Conservancy.
University of Florida study confirms that açaí berries contain antioxidants that destroyed cultured human cancer cells 
Jewelry made from Açaí seeds 

Category:Arecaceae
Category:Fruits