Conclusion
Despite the publication of several recent accounts on the genus, the taxonomy of Attalea is still confusing. However, most problems are restricted to particular complexes of species, which have suffered excessive lumping (Attalea butyracea group), or possibly excessive splitting (Attalea attaleoides group) obscuring species delimitation. The identity and variability of many species still need to be checked in the field. New and ongoing studies, including DNA analyses, should disentangle most of the remaining problems.