The plants are dioecious, with the female individuals bearing large brown conical fruits, each approximately the size of a grapefruit (but occasionally up to fourteen inches (35 centimeters) in diameter and weighing up to 42 pounds (19 kilograms)[2] and covered in a horned husk, containing usually four seeds.

The endosperm is a white hemicellulose material that is so hard it can be polished and carved like ivory.

In some rural areas the trees are used to attract rodents, which are then captured for their meat.

Animals that feed on the fleshy mesocarp of the palm's fruit include squirrels (Sciurus aestuans), agoutis (Dasyprocta spp.

International conservation organizations pay farmers for vegetable ivory in hopes that interest in the product will lead to resources being allotted for the protection of rainforests and the preservation of its flora.