Elaeis oleifera

American oil palm
American oil palm (Elaeis oleifera)
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Elaeis
Species:
E. oleifera
Binomial name
Elaeis oleifera
(Kunth) Cortés
Synonyms
  • Alfonsia oleifera Kunth
  • Corozo oleifera (Kunth) L.H.Bailey
  • Elaeis melanococca Mart. nom. illeg.

Elaeis oleifera is a species of palm commonly called the American oil palm. It is native to South and Central America from Honduras to northern Brazil.

Unlike its relative Elaeis guineensis, the African oil palm, it is rarely planted commercially to produce palm oil, but hybrids between the two species are, mainly in efforts to provide disease resistance and to increase the proportion of unsaturated fatty acids in the oil.

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