Tagua nut

Tagua nut

The tagua nut is an extremely hard nut that comes from the ivory-nut palm. Its endosperm can be carved and polished like ivory, making it a botanical alternative to elephant ivory and giving rise to the name "vegetable ivory." Before carving, the nut is covered with a brown, flaky skin and shaped like a small avocado. Tagua nuts can be found in the rainforest, typically on the ground, where their outer skin is eaten by the various animals populating the region.

The nuts' diameter ranges roughly from 4-8 cm in diameter.

Often, these nuts are used for carvings in rings and other figurines as microenterprises for third world countries in South America.

Sliced nuts

When buying them, one cannot see inside them and, in some countries as Australia, the s are not an issue.

External links

* [http://www.pueblito.ca/materials.php Some information and photos of Tagua]

=See also=
* vegetable ivory


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Look at other dictionaries:

  • tagua nut — [ tagwə] noun another term for ivory nut. Origin C19: tagua, via Sp. from Quechua tawa …   English new terms dictionary

  • tagua nut — noun The fruit of the tagua palm. Syn: vegetable ivory …   Wiktionary

  • tagua nut — …   Useful english dictionary

  • tagua — noun The fruit of the tagua palm. Syn: tagua nut, vegetable ivory …   Wiktionary

  • tagua palm — stambiavaisė kaulapalmė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Arekinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Phytelephas macrocarpa), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Phytelephas macrocarpa angl. common ivory palm; ivory palm; ivory nut palm;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • tagua — ˈtägwə noun ( s) Etymology: American Spanish, from Araucan 1. : ivory palm 2. : ivory nut 1 …   Useful english dictionary

  • taqua-nut — (erron.) var. of tagua nut. a 1864 S. F. Baird in Webster. Hence in mod. Dicts …   Useful english dictionary

  • ivory-nut palm — stambiavaisė kaulapalmė statusas T sritis vardynas apibrėžtis Arekinių šeimos pluoštinis augalas (Phytelephas macrocarpa), paplitęs Pietų Amerikoje. atitikmenys: lot. Phytelephas macrocarpa angl. common ivory palm; ivory palm; ivory nut palm;… …   Lithuanian dictionary (lietuvių žodynas)

  • Vegetable ivory — also known as corozo, is a name used for the tagua nut in the South American rainforest. When dried out, it can be carved as an ivory replica. Both humanitarians and environmentalists can appreciate it, for its use stimulates the economies in So …   Wikipedia

  • Netsuke — A monkey shaped netsuke In this image, a man wears an inro …   Wikipedia

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