What is "mauritia flexuosa"

Ita palm \I"ta palm`\ (Bot.) A magnificent species of palm ( Mauritia flexuosa), growing near the Orinoco. The natives eat its fruit and buds, drink its sap, and make thread and cord from its fiber.

Mauritia flexuosa, known as the moriche palm, ité palm, ita, buriti, muriti, canangucho (Colombia), or aguaje (Peru), is a palm tree. It grows in and near swamps and other wet areas in tropical South America. It has been reported from Trinidad, Colombia, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.

M. flexuosa, a tree, can reach up to in height. The large leaves form a rounded crown. The flowers are yellowish and appear from December to April. The fruit, which grows from December to June, is a chestnut color and is covered with shiny scales. The yellow flesh covers a hard, oval nut. The seeds float, and this is the means by which the palm tree propagates. In natural populations, the tree reaches very high densities.