bactris

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. n. A genus of slender palms, consisting of about 40 species, found about rivers and in marshy places in America within the tropics. The stems are generally covered with spines, and the leaves are pinnate, though occasionally simple or 2-lobed. The fruit is small, with a thin fibrous pulp inclosing a hard black nut. The kernel of B. major is eaten in Cartagena. The stems of B. minor are used for walking-sticks, under the name of Tobago canes.