Skip to content
sintropia.club
PT EN

Plants

peach palm

Bactris gasipaes Kunth

Family: Arecaceae · Genus: Bactris

pupunha

Secondary II Emergent No biomass production
Jens-Christian Svenning · CC BY · iNaturalist

Amazonian multi-stemmed palm; produces heart of palm in ~3 years and edible fruit in ~5 years. Pasini lists it in the emergent stratum of Tabela 3 and among Abundance-system species (emergent stratum, 5–18 year phase of the Cerrado consortium example).

Götsch succession

Götsch stage
Secondary II
Ecological role
Late secondary
Primary stratum
Emergent
Strata
Emergent, High
Biomass class
No biomass production

Environment

Light requirement
Full sun
Water requirement
High
Drought tolerance
Moderate
Waterlogging tolerance
Low
Soil pH range
4–7.5
Preferred soil texture
Clayey, Loamy
Hardiness zones
10–12

Morphology

Mature height
8–20 m
Recommended spacing
2–3 m
Root system
Fibrous
Root depth
Shallow
Growth rate
Fast
Lifespan
≥ 50 years
Time to first harvest
36 months

Biomes & climate

Köppen classes

Where it fits in a guild

Peach palm takes the Emergent stratum in the Secondary II phase of succession — in a guild it shares the line with species from the other strata, each harvesting light at its own height, in its own time.

Design my guild

Free account — and the catalog stays open, no sign-up needed.

Emergent · ≈20 m High Medium Low Ground cover

🪴 Cultivation

Grows below 800 m where temperatures never fall below 10 °C; needs >1,500 mm/yr rainfall and tolerates a 3-4 month dry season. Does well on clay soils and acid laterites with up to 50% aluminium saturation. For heart of palm, dense planting (e.g. ~5,000-6,000 plants/ha) with first cut from 18 months; for fruit, wider spacing in full sun. Spineless cultivars exist. Resprouts from suckers, allowing harvest without felling.

📅 Phenology

Flowering months: September, October, November

Fruiting months: December, January, February, March

❓ Frequently asked questions

How long until the first harvest of peach palm?

The first harvest of peach palm comes around 36 months after planting.

What spacing is recommended for peach palm?

The recommended spacing for peach palm is 2–3 m.

How tall does peach palm grow?

At maturity, peach palm reaches 8–20 m tall.

When does peach palm fruit?

Fruiting of peach palm occurs in December, January, February, March.

When does peach palm flower?

Flowering of peach palm occurs in September, October, November.

What stage and stratum does peach palm occupy in a syntropic system?

In a syntropic system, peach palm belongs to the secondary ii stage, occupying the emergent stratum.

Functions

🍎 Fruit Fiber

Propagation

Seed

Citations

  1. Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Conceitos e princípios práticos da agrofloresta sucessional, Tabela 3 (Incaper) , p. 116 (primary_stratum)
  2. Pasini, F. & Guimarães, L. (2017) — Sistema de Abundância , p. 118 (gotsch_stage)
  3. Flora e Funga do Brasil — Bactris gasipaes Kunth (family, genus, scientific_author, flora_do_brasil)
  4. GBIF Backbone Taxonomy — Bactris gasipaes Kunth (external_ids, powo_id)
  5. Useful Tropical Plants — Bactris gasipaes (ph_min, ph_max, root_system, root_depth, soil_texture_preference, cultivation_notes, time_to_first_harvest_months, water_need)
  6. Embrapa Florestas — Pupunha; Revista Amazônia — palmito-pupunha (rebrota/colheita) (phenology, spacing_min_m, spacing_max_m)

External references

Continue exploring

Related plants