Bactris acanthocarpa

Bactris acanthocarpa is a shrub. The stems are solitary, or in clumps of two to five. The stems are 0.1–1.5 metres (0.33–4.92 ft) tall, 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) wide, and sometimes spiny. Each plant has five to fifteen compound leaves, which have scattered black spines. The leaves have twelve to thirty-three pinnae on each side, which are arranged in clusters or two to four. The leaf stems are 0.4–1.7 metres (1.3–5.6 ft) long. The inflorescences grow on 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in) stems. The male flowers are deciduous, and up to 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long. The male flowers have sepals with 0.5–1 millimetre (0.020–0.039 in) long lobes, 2.5–3 millimetres (0.098–0.118 in) long petals, and six stamens. The female flowers are 2–3 millimetres (0.079–0.118 in) long, and have an urn-shaped, 1–3 millimetres (0.039–0.118 in) long calyx. The corolla of the female flowers is 2–4 millimetres (0.079–0.157 in) long.

The fruits are obovoid, 1–2.3 centimetres (0.39–0.91 in) wide, orange to red in colour, and have deciduous spines. The epicarp is spiny, the mesocarp is starchy, and the endocarp is obovoid.

Bactris acanthocarpa is native to the seasonally dry tropical biome of Bolivia, Brazil (north, north-east, and south-east), Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela. The species grows in lowland forests, on non-inundated soils, at elevations of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).

Bactris acanthocarpa is eaten by the Brazilian squirrel and the Black-rumped agouti.

Bactris acanthocarpa is used for animal food. The mesocarp of the fruit is used to make medicine, and the endocarps are used as beads.