Ethnobotany of Mauritia flexuosa (Arecaceae) in a Maroon Community in Central Brazil

Abstract

Buriti (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.), a Brazilian native palm, is widely used by many ethnic groups. In central Brazil, a traditional community of African descendants (maroons), known as the Kalunga, utilize all the native palm species of the region. Buriti is the most important palm species for the Engenho II community of Kalungas, localized in the municipality of Cavalcante, state of Goias. Leaves are used for construction, household utensils, fodder, and medicine. Forests and wetlands of the Brazilian Cerrado are rapidly being converted to pastures and agriculture. Ethnobotanical studies of plant resources may aid in their conservation and also improve the lives of the local inhabitants. The genus Mauritia is comprised of solitary palms, with tall, robust, erect stems and palmate leaves. Two species are recognized, one of which is widely distributed throughout wet areas in northern South America, east of the Andes and just reaching Trinidad (Mauritia flexuosa L.f.) (Henderson et al. 1995). The other is more narrowly distributed in the Amazon region (Mauritia carana Wallace) (Henderson et al. 1995). The common name buriti is derived from dembyriti, a word from the native Indian language Tupi-Guarani, and signifies “a palm tree that oozes liquid.” Other common names for this majestic palm include aeta, aguaje, bariti, boriti, buriti palm, canaguche, caranda-guacu, carandai-guacu, carandai-guazu, chomiya, coqueiro-buriti, ideui, ite, mariti, meriti, miriti, morete, moriche, moriti, muriti, palma real, palmeira-buriti, palmeira-dos-brejos (Cymerys et al. 2005; Lorenzi et al. 2010; Martins et al. 2010a). Buriti frequently occurs at low elevations, forming large populations on river banks and lake margins, around water sources, and in inundated or humid areas. These buriti populations are known in Brazil as “veredas” (Ribeiro and Walter 2008) and are ecological indicators of the presence of surface water. In Brazil, buriti is the most widespread of all palm trees, occurring in the Amazon region, Cerrado, Caatinga, and Pantanal (Henderson et al. 1995; Lorenzi et al. 2010). In the Cerrado biome, the buriti palms grow spontaneously in the veredas, surrounded by shrubby and herbaceous plant communities. They also commonly inhabit inundated gallery forest habitats (Ribeiro and Walter 2008). These palms thrive in flat terrain with humid soils that permit surface water to accumulate (Reatto et al. 2008). Brazilian ethnobotanical studies of palms have focused mostly on indigenous, ribeirinhos (rivermargin dwellers of mixed ethnicity), and seringueiros (itinerant rubber collectors) (e.g., Campos and Ehringhaus 2003; Kahn 1988). A few ethnobotanical studies have been conducted in maroon communities in Brazil (Barroso et al. 2010; Crepaldi and Peixoto 2010; Silva and Freitas 2008). Notes on Economic Plants