The species occurs in floodplains, on land and in swampland soils. The açai palm often grows alongside other palm trees, typically alongside another palm from the Amazon, the buriti (Mauritia flexuosa).
Its fruit, which is very appreciated in the Amazon region, produces pulp that is consumed in fresh form. Its production is carried out almost exclusively by extractive farmers. Its roots are the source of medicinal preparations to treat malaria, hepatitis and other diseases.
Euterpe precatoria is a solitary palm, which grows to a height of up to 20 m. The sheaths of the 8-18 pinnate leaves remain closed. Infloreseences are born axillary and are infrafoliar at anthesis. Each individual may produce one to four inflorescences in succession during one flowering period. The inflorescence bud has a tubular, green prophyll which splits abaxially as the bud expands.
Plants of this species grow in the forest (sub-canopy) in environments with both favorable and unfavorable soils, frequently forming small groups of plants, between 10 and 20 individuals, or among 50–250 plants/ha. It also occurs in lower densities, around 2–3 trees/ha, in places with rainfall in the range of 1,900–4,000 mm per year and average annual temperatures of 26 °C.
Palm species Euterpe precatoria
