**Names:**
– Major local names for heart of palm include:
– Palm cabbage or palmetto in Florida and Trinidad
– Palmito in South and Central America
– Ubod in the Philippines
– Củ hủ dừa in Vietnam
– Cœur de palmier in French
**Nutrition:**
– Heart of Palm Nutritional value per 100g (3.5oz):
– Energy: 79.5kJ (19.0kcal)
– Carbohydrates: 3.1 g
– Sugars: 0.0 g
– Dietary fiber: 1.6 g
– Fat: 0.39 g
– Rich in fiber, potassium, iron, zinc, phosphorus, copper, vitamins B2, B6, and C
– Good source of protein, riboflavin, and potassium
– Very good source of dietary fiber, vitamin C, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, and manganese
– High ratio between omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
**Cultivation:**
– Traditional cultivation regions include Southeast Asia, South, and Central America
– Dominant sources in Southeast Asia: coconuts, rattans, fishtail palms, areca palm, sago palms, buri palms
– Dominant sources in Central and South America: juçara palms, açaí palms, pejibaye palms, sabal palmettos, grugru palms
– Formerly harvested species in South America: Euterpe precatoria, Euterpe edulis, Prestoea acuminata
– Cultivation spread to South Asia, Africa, and other regions using native palms
**Harvesting:**
– Harvesting involves cutting down the tree and removing the bark
– Center core is edible and considered a delicacy
– Complete removal of the heart leads to the death of the plant
– Conservation efforts are needed due to negative impacts of harvesting
– Research on adaptations to moisture in the environment can help seed lifespan
**Conservation and Economic Importance:**
– Conservation programs aim to protect palm species
– Seed banks play a crucial role in conservation
– Restoration projects help reestablish palm populations
– Community involvement is key in conservation efforts
– Research on genetic diversity aids in conservation strategies
– Economic value drives both legal and illegal harvesting
– Palm heart harvesting provides livelihoods for communities
– Sustainable harvesting practices can enhance economic benefits
– Market demand influences the sustainability of harvesting practices
**Genetic Diversity and Environmental Impact:**
– Genetic studies help understand palm populations
– Maintaining genetic diversity is crucial for species resilience
– Gene flow plays a role in palm population dynamics
– Inbreeding can lead to genetic bottlenecks
– Conservation efforts focus on preserving genetic diversity
– Deforestation for palm heart harvesting threatens ecosystems
– Loss of habitat affects wildlife dependent on palms
– Sustainable practices can mitigate environmental impact
– Climate change poses additional challenges to palm populations
– Understanding ecological relationships is essential for sustainable management
Heart of palm is a vegetable harvested from the inner core and growing bud of certain palm trees, most notably the coconut (Cocos nucifera), juçara (Euterpe edulis), açaí palm (Euterpe oleracea), palmetto (Sabal spp.), and peach palm. Harvesting of many uncultivated or wild single-stemmed palms (e.g. Geonoma edulis) results in palm tree death. However, other palm species are clonal or multi-stemmed plants (e.g. Prestoea acuminata, Euterpe oleracea), and moderate harvesting will not kill the entire clonal palm. Heart of palm may be eaten on its own, and often it is eaten in a salad.

There are palm varieties that have become domesticated farm species as an alternative to sourcing from wild palms. The main variety that has been domesticated is Bactris gasipaes, known in English as peach palm. This variety is the most widely used for canning. Peach palms are self-suckering and produce multiple stems, with up to 40 on one plant. This lets producers lower costs by harvesting several stems from a plant while avoiding the death of the palm. Another advantage is that the peach palm has been selectively bred to eliminate the thorns of its wild cousins. Since harvesting is still labor-intensive, palm hearts are regarded as a delicacy.