Palma de Fibra, chili ruya, Aphandra natalia

palma de fibra is a flowering plant in the palm family, native to the Amazon Rainforest vegetation in South America (Ecuador, Brazil, and Peru). Its only species is Aphandra natalia, sometimes called mastodon palm or fiber palm.

The palm can reach over 12m in hight and the colour of the palm is gray to tan. These trees usually remain covered in the bases of old leaves giving them a seeming trunk diameter of nearly 1 meter, however the actual trunk size when cleaned of the leaf bases is nearer to 30 cm.

The leaves of A. natalia are usually 4.5 m in length but are borne on long, 2.5 m petioles giving them an overall length of 7 m. The leaflets are dark green in colour.

The palm is used by indigenous peoples in the construction of brooms and other products. The plant is commercially exploited for its edible fruits, and for its leaf sheath and petiole fibers. There are many uses of the piassaba fiber palm. The edible fruits, extraction of fibers for trade and the leaves used for thatch are the most common uses of the plant.