View source for Astrocaryum huicungo

__noeditsection__
{{Palmbox
|image=Huicungo44.jpg
|image_caption=Photo-amazonwiki.org
|genus=Astrocaryum (ahs-tro-kahr-EE-uhm) 
|species=huicungo  (hoo-ee-KOON-go)
|subspecies=
|cultivar=
|synonyms=Astrocaryum murumuru var. huicungo (before 1995)
|continent=america
|habit=Solitary
|leaf_type=Pinnate
|height=
|trunk_diameter=
|sun_exposure=
|watering=
|soil_type=
|common_names=Starnut Palm, Huicungo.
}}
==Habitat and Distribution==
Peru. Both Terra firme and [[File:ah2786881.jpg|thumb|left|350px|Moyobamba, Moyobamba, Peru. Photo by Dr. Jean-Christophe Pintaud/Palmweb.]]floodplain forests.
==Description==
Long and sharp spines on the trunk and part of the leaves. Compound leaves with a feather shape. Epicarp setose; calyx of the pistillate flower hardly shorter than the corolla or equal. Big yellow orange fruit. Hard seed, 7 cm long. Editing by edric.
==Culture==
Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b
==Comments and Curiosities==
There are more than a billion Huicungo trees in the rainforest. They grow up to 15 metres and their fruits are edible. Like many trees in the rainforest the Huicungo uses sharp spines on its trunk to protect it. Some birds ie the Long-billed Wood Creeper, are able to forage for insects without becoming impaled.

Uses: The hard seeds of the Huicungo are used to make black rings. New leaf sprout used to make women´s spinning basket. Trunks used rarely as house posts. Fruit is edible for humans and agouti, squirrel, peccaries, etc. Carved seeds used to elaborate rings with an ivory appearance. Leaves used to make brooms. Spines used by tribes from the north to elaborate darts with fiber of kapok at the end. Sharp point is covered with toxin of poison dart frogs to kill prey faster, usually monkeys.

<br style="clear:both;"/>
{{#Widget:AdResban}}
<center><gallery caption="IMAGE GALLERY" perrow="4" widths="300px" heights="300px" mode="packed">
File:ah2786881.jpg|Moyobamba, Moyobamba, Peru. Photo by Dr. Jean-Christophe Pintaud/Palmweb.
File:20131101-181832.jpg|Amazon rainforest, Peru. Photo by earth2mother.
File:20131101-181928.jpg|Amazon rainforest, Peru. Photo by earth2mother.
File:Huicungo44.jpg|Photo-amazonwiki.org
File:stpalm1b.jpg|A necklace from the Rio Napo, a tributary of the Amazon River in Ecuador. The large seed-bearing fruits and endocarps are from the starnut palm (Astrocaryum huicungo). This palm is named from the starlike design surrounding the three germination pores on the endocarps. Photo-waynesword.palomar.edu
File:20131101-182533.jpg|Peru. Photo by earth2mother.
</gallery></center>
==External Links==
*[http://eunops.org/content/glossary-palm-terms Glossary of Palm Terms]
*[http://www.calflora.net/botanicalnames/pronunciation.html MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN]
*[http://www.jlhudsonseeds.net/Pronunciation.htm "Just To Be Clear"]
==References==
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric. 

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to [http://palmweb.org/?q=node/2 Palmweb.org], Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).

{{SpeciesListBackLink}}
[[Category:ASTROCARYUM|huicungo]]