Piassava Explained

Piassava, also piaçava (pronounced as /pt/), piaçaba (pronounced as /pt/), piasaba, pissaba, piassaba, and piaçá (pronounced as /pt/),^[1] is a fibrous product of Brazilian palm species Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia piassaba. It is often used in making brooms and for other purposes.

Piassava was historically exported to Europe before the widespread use of synthetic materials such as plastic. Today, it is mostly used locally in South America.^[2]

See also

• West African piassava palm

References

• Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon Vol. I by Lieutenant William Lewis Herndon (1853) chapter 14, p. 285
• Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)

Notes and References

1. The piaçá form occurs mostly in Portugal and is considered less correct by some dictionaries.
2. Book: Brokamp, Grischa . 2015 . Relevance and Sustainability of Wild Plant Collection in NW South America: Insights from the Plant Families Arecaceae and Krameriaceae . Wiesbaden . Springer Spektrum . 10.1007/978-3-658-08696-1 . 978-3-658-08695-4. 30557398 .