Share this: The moriche palm, also known as the “tree of life.” Photo by Linton Arneaud, used with permission. This article was originally published on Cari-Bois News. An edited version is republished here as part of a content-sharing agreement with Global Voices. The majestic Mauritia flexuosa, commonly called the moriche palm, was also dubbed the “tree of life” by the German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt at the beginning of the 1800s, thanks to the role it played ecologically, as a nest site for birds and a food source for both animals and humans; and socio-economically, as a source of raw materials.