Scientific name: Astrocaryum sciophilum
Vern:
Local: bugrumaka (Sr); Mourou-mourou, palmier bâche (FG)
Indig: murumuru (Tr)
Growth Form: Palms
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Notes: Astrocaryum sciophilum is one of the most distinctive, formidable, and ecologically patient understory palms of the northeastern Amazon and the Guiana Shield. Dominated by massive, funnel-like rosettes of leaves and heavily armed with flattened black spines, this species plays a foundational role in old-growth forest dynamics. The specific epithet sciophilum translates literally to “shade-loving” (from the Greek skia for shade and philos for loving), describing its preference for the deep, filtered light of pristine terra firme forest interiors.