O'DONNELL'S
Jeweler since 1993
Custom Design * Gold * Platinum * Loose Stones * Repairs * Engraving
Jeweler since 1993
Custom Design * Gold * Platinum * Loose Stones * Repairs * Engraving
Tagua Nut Ivory
O'Donnell's Eco-Friendly Jewelry
Tagua nut also known as vegetable ivory,comes mainly from
Ecuador,Colombia and Venezuela.Ecuador fulfills most for the world.
Tagua nut,also know as vegetable ivory,is a seed .Tagua grows in the
tropical rain forest of South American countries,mainly Ecuador,Colombia
and Venezuela.
The palm tree phytelephas aequatorialis, commonly known as Ecuadorean Ivory Palm, is the main source of Ecuadorean vegetable ivory or tagua, a botanical alternative to ivory. This palm is found in the tropical rain forest of Ecuador. It has a woody trunk which can grow to 20m in height and very long pinnate leaves.The plants are dioecious, with the female individuals bearing large brown conical fruits, each approximately the size of a grapefruit and covered in a horned husk, containing usually four seeds. Immature seeds contain sweet edible pulp. Mature seeds are harder than wood and are encased in a bone-like shell. The endosperm is a white heme-cellulose material that is so hard it can be polished and carved like ivory. Indeed, the plant's genus name Phytelephas means "elephant plant" Three other species in this genus are sources of vegetable ivory as well.
The edible immature seeds are often dispersed by rain-forest rodents such as agoutis. In some rural areas the trees are used to attract rodents, which are then captured for their meat.
The palms are occasionally cultivated as a cash crop. International conservation organizations pay farmers for vegetable ivory in hopes that interest in the product will lead to resources being alloted for the protection of rain-forests and the preservation of its flora.
You can be assured that you purchase is helping preserve our rain-forests because these Tagua Palm Nuts were sustainably harvested in Ecuador. This positive market-driven approach to rain-forest preservation provides a valuable income to the artisans and their communities.
