Babassu oil is obtained from the nut of the babassu palms Attalea speciosa, palm trees of very large size, looking like giant coconut trees, also known locally as cusi, motacu and motacuchi, and in the scientific terminology with the obsolete designations of Orbignya martiana , O. oleifera, and O. speciosa. These palms grow wild in the lowlands of Paraguay, Bolivia and especially Brazil, where the forests of these palms cover more than 200,000 km² and have a great economic interest as a source of oil for food and for industrial uses.