Leopoldinia piassaba Wallace (Arecaceae): A few biological and economic data from the Rio Negro region (Brazil)

Abstract

The piaçabeira (Leopoldinia piassaba Wallace) is an endemic palm species of the Rio Negro basin whose biology and ecology are poorly documented. Exploited for the fiber (piaçaba), the species is important for rural populations as a source of economic income through extractive activity. Two journeys in the middle Rio Negro region permit us to document more fully the biological and economic aspects of the species. Three populations were observed in the Rio Preto-Rio Negro interfluve (64° 15′ -64° 28′ W; 0° 5′ -0° 15′S). © 1992.