Palm Sunday

 With Madelyn Cline:

Phys.org, How local communities depend on the ivory palm tree in coastal Ecuador

The ivory palm tree, also known as tagua, is endemic to the Chocó-Darien region on the Pacific coast of South America. The local population relies on this unique tree for many uses and the tagua fruit, nuts, and leaves provide materials for a range of products. Two studies from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador (PUCE) explore the ecosystem services provided by tagua in coastal Ecuador.

The ivory palm is considered a threatened species as 98% of forest land in western Ecuador has been cleared, although current conservation practices often leave the tagua trees standing amidst agricultural land.

The tree's large, characteristic fruit contains seeds that harden into a white material known as vegetable ivory, which is harvested and traded in the global marketplace.

"Since the start of the 20th century, companies have been utilizing the seed of this palm to produce buttons, and it is very popular in the global garment industry. The tagua trade had a strong impact on the local economy of western Ecuador in the first half of the 20th century," said Rommel Montúfar, professor at PUCE and co-author on both papers.

The button export has slowed over the past decades, but there are efforts to develop other materials from tagua fruit and nuts.

Who knew? 

The Wombat has Rule 5 Sunday: Salma Hayek up on time at The Other McCain.