Aiphanes horrida
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Aiphanes horrida stem with spines and leaf scar rings. Photograph courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Guide to Palms http://palmguide.org/index.php |
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Aiphanes horrida leaftlet spine with gray tomentum |
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Aiphanes horrida young palm in the botanical Garden Jena. Photograph courtesy of Ixitixel, wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiphanes_horrida |
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Aiphanes horrida leaf in the botanical Garden Jena. Photograph courtesy of Ixitixel, wikipedia http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Aiphanes_horrida_(Leaf).jpg |
Common name
ruffle palm, coyure palm
Description
Stems: Solitary, upright, grayish stems to 10 m tall and up to 15 cm in diameter, ringed with flattened black spines (up to 2 cm long) and leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
scars. Leaves: Pinnate, with a short, spiny petiole and drooping, spiny rachisrachis:
an extension of the petiole through the blade of a pinnate leaf to which leaflets are attached
. Leaflets, clustered in groups of 4-6, grow in several planes, and the praemorsepraemorse:
with a jagged edge or like a fish tail
tips have three major teeth. The wedge-shaped leaflets are dramatically wider at the leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
apex. The blades may be glabrous to more or less covered with small spines. Flowers and fruits: Inflorescences (about 60-90 cm long) are borne among the leaves and are once branched. Separate staminatestaminate:
a flower bearing stamens but no pistils; a “male” flower
and pistillatepistillate:
a flower bearing a pistil but no stamens; a “female” flower
(male and female) flowers are held on the same inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
. Fruits are spherical, 1.6-2.3 cm, and bright red or orange-red when ripe.
Diagnostic features
Field: Erect, solitary palms with dark spines and leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
scar rings on the pale stem, leaves with praemorsepraemorse:
with a jagged edge or like a fish tail
leaflets, and spines on almost every part of the palm.
Lab: Spines on new leaves may be covered with grayish white tomentumtomentum:
a covering of closely matted or fine hairs on plant leaves
.
May be confused with
Aiphanes minima is similarly spiny, but its leaflets are more or less lanceolatelanceolate:
term to describe leaves and leaflets that are longer than wide and widest below the mid-point; lance-shaped
, widest at the midpoint and gradually tapering toward the base and praemorsepraemorse:
with a jagged edge or like a fish tail
tip while Aiphanes horrida has wedge-shaped praemorsepraemorse:
with a jagged edge or like a fish tail
leaflets with a ruffled appearance.
Distribution
Native to seasonally dry forests and sometimes wet forests of tropical South America and in Trinidad
Additional comments
The fruits of this species are edible and are sold in some South American markets.
Scientific name
Aiphanes horrida (Jacq.) Burret.
Family
Arecaceae/Palmae
Synonyms
Aiphanes aculeata Willd.
Aiphanes caryotifolia (Kunth) H.Wendl.
Aiphanes elegans (Linden & H.Wendl.) H.Wendl.
Aiphanes ernestii (Burret) Burret
Aiphanes killipii (Burret) Burret
Aiphanes orinocensis Burret
Aiphanes premorsa (Poepp. ex Mart.) Burret
Aiphanes truncata (Brongn. ex Mart.) H.Wendl.
Bactris premorsa Poepp. ex Mart.
Caryota horrida Jacq.
Euterpe aculeata (Jacq.) Spreng.
Martinezia aculeata (Jacq.) Klotzsch
Martinezia caryotifolia Kunth
Martinezia killipii Burret
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