Copernicia alba
Copernicia (koh-pehr-nee-SEE-ah) alba (ALL-bah) | |||||||
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Province of Chaco in Argentina. Photo by Jose A. Grassia | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Copernicia alba is found in Argentina Northeast, Bolivia, Brazil West-Central, and Paraguay.Copernicia alba grows naturally, in a wide open area of South America, covering territories in Northern of Beni in Bolivia, central west in this country, West Matogrosso in Brazil, northeastern Paraguay, northern and northeastern Argentina, where the provinces of Santa Fe and Corrientes, is the southern limit of the species habitat at 30° South approximately. The region shown covers about 400,000 km2, where it is estimated that C. alba far outweigh the 500 million specimens. (see map below). In Argentina, the growth area of Copernicia alba is located in the floodplains of big rivers (Paraná, Paraguay and Bermejo), a large plateau that ranges from 50 to 100 m above sea level in areas mostly grassland and savannah seasonally flooded with runoff from W-NW to E-SE, along the edges of forests occupied by high ridges, forming clusters of high concentration of individuals at different stages of development. It then describes the study area the next job is comprised of the North and Northeast region of Argentina that within the Gran Chaco geographic region, corresponds to the so-called “Chaco Oriental” or Humid Chaco, which occupies roughly the eastern half of the provinces of Chaco and Formosa, starting from the northern half of the province of Santa Fe.
Description
Copernicia alba has solitary trunk, gray, slender, 7-9 m. high and 0.25 m. in diameter and can reach exceptionally to 13 m. high and 0.40 m. in diameter at the base. Is covered with leaf debris from the base to the first third of its height and continued smooth and naked to the crown of leaves. The crown is circular at the bottom keeping the dead leaves and debris infructescenses. Can have more than 50 leaves. The leaves are clearly palmates, glaucous green, lamina 75-80 cm in diameter with 30-35 segments induplicates, slightly forked, each 35 cm. long and 4-5 cm. wide. The sinus can penetrate up to 75-80% of limbo. Hastula small, slightly upturned crescent adaxially. Long petioles 1.2 to 1.3 m long including the leaf sheath and 2.5 cm wide at its middle, with margins armed with around 18 recurved teeth on each side. The inflorescences are multiple, interfoliar and erect, standing out from the leaf crown. Long spadices with hermaphrodite flowers, pale cream-colored, solitary or grouped. Sepals 3, petals 3, stamens 6, monadelphous, coupled in turn with the corolla. Superior ovary composed of 3 free carpels at the base, once-ovulated. The fruits are dark green when mature, sub-globose and 1.2 - 1.5 cm. in diameter, one oval seed with abundant white and homogeneous endosperm. The infructescenses hanging by the weight of the fruit, protruding from the crown. It is common to find a number (variable depending on season) of fruits brown or black very weakly attached to rachillas making it unfeasible as they tend to fall from the palm and are parasitized by larvae that attack the seed endosperm. (Smithsonian Tropical Institute) Editing by edric.
Culture
Sunny, moist, warm, Not well known in cultivation, this palm is the most cold resistent of all Copernicias. This species is the cold hardiest of the genus Copernicia, coming to withstand low temperatures from -5 to -7 ° C without any damage. Zones 9a-11.
Comments and Curiosities
Uses: The trunk is very hard and is used for telephone poles, are also divided longitudinally to divide farmers fields and to build fences, walls and floors, the old inflorescences are used as brooms. The roots are boiled, and used for medicinal and veterinary, both for musculo-skeletal, and, blood and cardiovascular system.
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Conservation: C. alba is not threatened despite the fact that farmers and ranchers burning and deforesting of their habitat to agricultural use, livestock or felling of trees for wood. After the fires, palms lose their dead leaves and the remains of leaf sheaths and stems are smooth but the plant does not die. In some cases (quite common) the bud is damaged, and the palm branches. It has been found cases of dichotomous branching without apparent apical damage. It is common practice to burn the “palmares” during droughts to remove any remaining marcescent palms leaf, tree thorny branches manner to facilitate subsequent entry to cut the palms destined for the manufacture of poles, either for their own use or sale to third parties. The burning of the “palmar” is also used as a management tool in livestock production, since shortly after the fire, the cause regrowth of the herbaceous layer, the nutritive value and the concentration of nitrogen and crude protein reach peak levels. While the fire did not damage the adult palms remain standing, the seedlings are mortally wounded by the “palmar” lose continuity in their regeneration. (Smithsonian Tropical Institute) One of many palms so numerous in the wild and yet so rare in cultivation, it is a mystery why it is not more widely grown. Tall and elegant with a blue colouration to the leaves, especially in young plants, it is worth any special effort to obtain. Germination is easy and subsequent seedling growth is rather fast. When its many qualities are taken into account, its popularity must surely increase. Best for warm temperate, subtropical and dry tropical ares. (RPS.com) |
External Links
- Glossary of Palm Terms
- MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN
- "Just To Be Clear"
- http://itp.lucidcentral.org/id/palms/palm-id/Copernicia_alba.htm
- http://palmasenresistencia.blogspot.com/2010/10/copernicia-alba-english.html
- http://hihort.blogspot.com/2011/09/copernicia-palms-hard-to-find-but-worth.html
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CGmbFHJoZCo
- Palms of Argentina by Jose A. Grassia.
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).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.