[3] Mauritia flexuosa is found in the wild in South America in Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, Trinidad, and Venezuela.

Moriche palm fruit ("morete" in the Oriente of Ecuador) is edible and used to make juice, jam, ice cream, a fermented "wine", desserts and snacks, requiring harvesting of more than 50 tonnes per day in Peru.

[4] The inflorescence buds are eaten as a vegetable and the sap can be drunk fresh or fermented (see palm wine).

[4] Alexander von Humboldt documented the tree and the ecosystem it supports in 1800 when traveling through the Llanos region of Venezuela.

Across the street from the building is a square with fountains and a single moriche palm tree, which was taken from the outskirts of the city and replanted there.