The acai palm are native to tropical Central and South America, from Belize south to Brazil and Peru, growing mainly in floodplains and swamps.
The fruit, a small, round, black-purple drupe about 1 inch (25 mm) in diameter, similar in appearance and size to a grape but with less pulp, is produced in branched panicles of 700 to 900 fruits. Two crops of fruit are produced each year.