Traditional communities of the Maranhão region also produce a flour from the fruit, and this is commercialized as a nutritional supplement.

The babassu palm is considered a weed in pasture areas of Cerrado vegetation in Brazil.

In their 2005 World Checklist of Palms Rafäel Govaerts and John Dransfield accepted A. spectabilis as a valid taxon but Sidney F Glassman considered it a dubious taxon in his 1999 Taxonomic Treatment of Palm Subtribe Attaleinae.

Attalea vitrivir was recognised as a distinct species by Michael Balick and coauthors;[1] Glassman and Govaerts and Dransfield concurred, but Henderson considered it part of A. speciosa.

[7] A high-protein cake with about 20% protein content is formed after oil is extracted from the fruits.