Bactris bidentula is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub or tree with spiny stems, pinnate leaves, and black to purple fruits. The species is native to South America, and was described in 1869.
Bactris bidentula is listed as of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Taxonomy The species was described by Richard Spruce in 1869.
Distribution Bactris bidentula is native to the wet tropical biome of Brazil (northern and west-central), Colombia, Peru, and Venezuela. It grows at elevations of up to .
Description Bactris bidentula is a shrub or tree. The stems are tall, wide, spiny, and arranged in clumps of four to twenty.
The plant has three to sixteen leaves, which have clustered black spines. The leaf stems are long. The leaves have twenty-four to forty-nine oblanceolate or linear-lanceolate pinnae on each side, which are arranged in clusters of two to seven.
The inflorescences grow on long stems, which are straight or slightly curved, and lack spines. The male flowers are long, have sepal lobes, and have six stamens. The female flowers are long, and have a cup-shaped calyx, which is up to long. The corolla of the female flowers is tube-shaped, and long.
The fruits are up to wide, roughly spherical, and purple to black in colour. The mesocarp is juicy, and the endocarp is oblong.
Uses Bactris bidentula is used for food.
Ecology Bactris bidentula is eaten by fish, including Piaractus mesopotamicus and the Tambaqui.
Conservation In 2022, the IUCN assessed Bactris bidentula as of Least Concern.
Nomenclature In Spanish, the species is known as , , , or .
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