Euterpe is a genus of palm trees, containing eight species that are native to Central America and the Yucatan, the West Indies, and South America, from Belize and the Windward Islands southward to Brazil, Peru and Argentina.

[3] The fruit is small, but is produced in great quantity upon branched spadices, which are thrown out horizontally beneath the crown of leaves.

A beverage called açaí, much used at Pará and other places on the Amazon River, is prepared from the fruit of certain species.

It is a thick, creamy liquid, of a purplish color, and a flavor like that of a freshly gathered nut.

[4] The stem of the açaí palm is sometimes used for poles and rafters, and its terminal bud as a cabbage or as a salad with, oil and vinegar.