ACROCOMIA (a-kroh-koh’-mi-ah) – A genus of the palm trees of tropical America, characterized by handsome crowns of feathery leaves, and tall, sometimes swollen trunks often covered with sharp-pointed spines. Some of the species are grown in Calif. and Fla. Acrocomia aculeata (Grugru or Groo-groo Palm), a West Indian species often sold in this country as Acrocomia sclerocarpa, grows to 40 ft. and has leaves to 10 or more ft. long with 2 to 3 ft. leaflets, dark green above, and whitish beneath. The nuts hang in long clusters and yield an oil used for making toilet soap.
Acrocomia mexicana (Coyol Palm) has a brown, woolly trunk, covered with long prickles, and at the summit a regally handsome, symmetrical crown of foliage. It is frequently grown in Calif., but is tender and should not be exposed to frost or cold winds.
Acrocomia total, from South America, has a trunk to 30 ft., at first covered with sharp spines, but later, because of the dropping of the leaf-stalks, almost smooth. It is surmounted by a decorative crown of bluish-green leaves. Widely grown in Fla., this species is hardy as far North as Jacksonville. Plant in a protected position and, to produce fine specimens quickly, feed frequently, always giving a mulch of well-rotted manure during the rainy season.
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