Aiphanes verrucosa

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Aiphanes (ah-ee-FAHN-ehz)
verrucosa (vehr-roo-COH-sah)
Aiphanes-verrucosa-inflorescence.jpg
Ecuador. Photo by Dr. Finn Borchsenius.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Aiphanes (ah-ee-FAHN-ehz)
Species:
verrucosa (vehr-roo-COH-sah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Clustering & caespitose.
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Endemic to a small area of the Andes in southern Ecuador, in primary or disturbed montane forest, between 2200 and 2800 m.
Ecuador. Photo by Dr. Finn Borchsenius.
The montane forests in these areas are subject to burning and felling for firewood, and the palm population at the type locality, currently the only known population of A. verrucosa, will probably become extinct in the near future. So far it has not been found inside the nearby Parque Nacional de Podocarpus, but it likely occurs also within the park and will thus probably be preserved. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)/Palmweb.

Description

Caespitose, with up to 6 stems and several basal suckers. Stems 2-5 (-8) m tall , 4-5 cm in diam., fiercely armed with black spincs, to 8 cm long. Leaves 3-5, normally 4, distichous, erect and arching; sheath, petiole, and rachis with a thick, white, caducous indument; sheath 40-50 cm long, covered with black spines, to 10 cm long; petiole about 6 cm long; rachis 85-115 cm long, with numerous black spines, to 5 cm long; pinnae 58-70 per side, inserted in groups of 4-11 separated by 5-8 cm, in several planes, lanceolate, praemorse at apex, distal margin 1-2 cm longer than the proximal, both sides with black spinules, midrib adaxially with a row of thin spines, 2-7 mm long, abaxially with 0-4 rigid spines, to 4 cm long, margins with a row of spinules, 2-4 mm long; basal pinnae 19-31 x 0.5-1 cm; middle pinnae 35-40 x 1.5-2.5 cm; apical pinnae 2-7 ribbed, 11-14 x 1-5 cm. Inflorescence erect at anthesis, curved in fruiting stage, branched to 1 order; prophyll, peduncular bract, and peduncle with a thick, white indument; prophyll 28-40 cm long; peduncular bract 70-110 cm long, inserted 2-5 cm above prophyll, light green in vivo, thick, with some spines, to 3 cm long; peduncle 60-90 cm long, 0.5-1 cm in diam. at junction with rachis, armed with numerous brown spines, 2-6 cm long; rachis 20-26 cm long, minutely spinulose; rachillae 50-65, minutely spinulose, each subtended by a light green bract, small or up to 4 cm long; basal rachillae to 22 cm long, with flowers nearly from the base, basal 4-6 cm thickened with up to 8 triads, the remaining part slender, about 1 mm in diam., with dyads of staminate flowers; apical rachillae to 10 cm long, staminate; triads slightly sunken, each subtended by an up to 8 mm long bract that covers the pistillate flower for ½ its length or more; dyads superficial, each subtended by a small bract, about 1 mm long. Staminate flowers creamish yellow, 3-5 mm long, those of triads borne on a 6-8 mm long pedicel partly adnate to the rachilla, those of dyads shortly pedicellate; sepals narrowly triangular, distinct or slightly imbricate, covering ½, of the petals or less, 1,5-3 mm long; petals free, valvate, 2.2-4 mm long; filaments about 1.5 mm long, anthers linear, 1.4-2.5 x 0.5-0.8 mm; pistillode distinct, about 0.5 mm high, trifid. Pistillate flowers 9-11 mm long, each subtended by an up to 5 mm long bracteole; sepals ovate, imbricate, 5-9 mm long; petals connate for ½-?, of their length, valvate distally, 9-11 mm long; staminodial cup 4-5 mm high, distinctly toothed, adnate to corolla tube; pistil about 6 mm high, glabrous. Fruit greenish white at maturity, globose, about 30 mm in diam., first smooth, soon corky-verrucose at apex; mesocarp dry, 2-3 mm thick, cracking open and persistent on the rachillae while the endocarp drops; endocarp about 25 mm diam., shallowly pitted apically. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Aiphanes verrucosa is distinguished by its distichous leaves; high number (58-70) of densely clustered, lanceolate pinnae; creamish yellow staminate flowers with linear, 1.4-2.5 mm long anthers; 9-11 mm long pistillate flowers with glabrous pistil; and white fruits, about 30 mm in diam., which soon become corky-verrucose at apex. It is closely related to A. lindeniana distributed along Cordillera Oriental and Central in Colombia, and probably represent a geographically isolated form of that species. In Colombia, this species is replaced by the closely related A. lindeniana (H. Wendl.) H. Wendl., which differs in its smaller female flowers, and red, smooth fruit. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)/Palmweb.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 9a

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The fruits are eaten raw or poached. The leaves are used for thatching.

Conservation: Known from three collections in disturbed or grassy areas along the Loja-Zumba road, close to Valladolid, in Zamora-Chinchipe province. Not known to occur in Eucador’s protected areas network, but should be searched for in the Parque Nacional Podocarpus. In 1997 the IUCN classified the species as "Rare" (Walter and Gillett 1998) and in 1998 as Vulnerable (Oldfield et al. 1998), but its small geographic range merits a stronger threat category. Habitat destruction is the main threat. ICUN Redlist Endangered 2003.



External Links

References

Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.

Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.

Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.

Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).

Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95

Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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