ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information, such as uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Phytelephas Macrocarpa Tree, known as Ivory Nut Palm. In Ecuador, they have "commercialized" the hard, compact, heavy, brilliant seeds, so highly valued for their thousand uses, and industrial applications, especially in the button industry. According to P. Gohl, ivory nut meal can be used for all classes of livestock without any particular restrictions. Durable leaves used for thatch, the stems are split and used for flooring. Empty spathes have been used as very durable broom heads. A liquid prepared by boiling the roots is considered diuretic in Ecuador. Phytelephas microcarpa is said to produce valuable oil. In Ecuador, a coleopteous larva attacks the stem, destroying the pith, and often killing the tree; superficially this resembles the larva of Rhynchophorus palmarum.
