ABSTRACT
This chapter provides information on the uses, folk medicine, chemistry, germplasm, distribution, ecology, cultivation, harvesting, yields, energy, and biotic factors of Cohune Palm. Seeds are source of Cohune Oil, nondrying oil, considered finer than that of coconut, used in food, as illuminant, and in the manufacture of soap. Very young buds, or cabbage, consumed as a vegetable. Young leaves used to make hats and other apparel, and for thatching. Cohune palm is reported to tolerate limestone, poor soil, sand, slope, savanna, and waterlogging. 2n = 32. Lacking basal shoots, the palm is propagated by seed, in rich soil containing loam, manure, and sand in proportions of 3-1-1. The germplasm of the cohune may contribute to building a bigger genetic base for other oleiferous species. The following fungi cause diseases in this palm: Achorella attaleae, Gloeosporium palmigenum, and Poria ravenalae. Bruchid beetles may damage the seeds, destroying both embryo and endosperm.
