Bactris pilosa

Bactris pilosa is a shrub or tree. The stems are clustered or rarely solitary, 2–10 metres (6.6–32.8 ft) tall, 2.5–4 centimetres (0.98–1.57 in) wide, and spiny. The plant has four to eight leaves, which have clustered, cylindrical, yellowish-brown or black spines. The spines are up to 5 centimetres (2.0 in) long. The leaves have fifty-nine to sixty-eight pinnae on each side, which are regularly or irregularly arranged. The leaves are linear, and have stiff tips. The leaf stem is 28–60 centimetres (11–24 in) long. The flower stem is curved and spiny. The male flowers are 3–5.5 millimetres (0.12–0.22 in) long, and have five to six stamens. The sepal lobes are 1–1.5 millimetres (0.039–0.059 in) long. The petals are 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in) long. The female flowers are 3–6 millimetres (0.12–0.24 in) long. The calyx is cup-shaped, and 3–5 millimetres (0.12–0.20 in) long. The corolla is urn-shaped, up to 4.5 millimetres (0.18 in) long, and covered in small scales. The fruits are purple-black, shaped like a flattened egg, 1.3–2.5 centimetres (0.51–0.98 in) long, and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) wide. The fruits are covered in short spines. The mesocarp is juicy, and the endocarp is turbinate.

Bactris pilosa is native to the wet tropical biome of Colombia, (Antioquia Department, Bolívar Department, Chocó Department, Córdoba Department, Magdalena Department, Norte de Santander Department, Sucre Department, Tolima Department), Ecuador, (Los Ríos Province), Panama (Darién Province), and Venezuela (Táchira and Zulia). The species grows in lowland forests, at elevations of 100–830 metres (330–2,720 ft).