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tagua

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

tagua , fruit of the ivory-nut palm ( Phytelephas macrocarpa ), which flourishes in tropical America from Paraguay to Panama. The female palms bear large woody, burrlike fruits, each containing several seeds about the size of hen's eggs. The immature seeds are gelatinous and edible. These are the ivory nuts, white or cream in color and very hard. Known in the trade also as vegetable ivory, the substance is used as a substitute for ivory and has long been carved into curios for tourists. Its commercial value originated in the mid-19th cent. when African ivory began to grow scarce. Tagua became a commodity of considerable importance, great quantities being exported to the United States and Europe for the manufacture of buttons and other small articles. It was largely supplanted by less expensive synthetic materials, although the demand has been rising in recent years. Tagua is classified in the division Magnoliophyta , class Liliopsida, order Arecales, family Palmae.

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Related entries from encyclopedias, dictionaries, and thesauruses

ivory nut
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition see tagua . Read more
vegetable ivory
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition see tagua . Read more
Iquitos
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ...cent. the city gained prominence, but it declined after the collapse of the market. Today coffee, cotton, timber, balatá, and tagua nuts, as well as rubber, are exported. There is launch service some distance up the Marañón and Ucayali rivers and air service... Read more
ivory
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ...banned) in ivory. Zanzibar, Antwerp, London, and Hong Kong have been major centers of ivory commerce. Natural substitutes (e.g., tagua , or vegetable ivory) for ivory or near equivalents have long been used. The tooth structure of many other animals, such as... Read more
palm
Book article from: The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition ...important palm fibers are raffia and rattan . Daemonorops draco yields dragon's blood , a resin. Another palm-fruit product, tagua , is used as a substitute for ivory. Species native to the United States include the tall royal palm of Florida and Cuba (usually... Read more

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