Geonoma wilsoni

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Geonoma -NO-mah)
wilsoni (will-SOHN-ee)
Gw2216509976863.JPG
Eastern slope of the Andes in Colombia, at the type locality. (Photo: R. Bernal)
Scientific Classification
Genus: Geonoma -NO-mah)
Species:
wilsoni (will-SOHN-ee)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Known only from the type locality, a very wet premontane forest on steep slopes
Eastern slope of the Andes in Colombia, at the type locality. (Photo: R. Bernal)
on the eastern slope of the Andes in Colombia.

Description

Stem solitary, 0.2-1 m tall, 8-10 mm in diameter, grayish-green to yellowish, internodes about 1 cm. Leaves 14-15, arranged in an hemispheric crown, simple and bifid or with two pinnae per side; sheath 5-6 cm long, with few yellowish-brown scales; petiole 23-47 cm long, 2-3 mm wide at apex, adaxially concave, with deciduous, yellowish-brown scales, abaxially convex; rachis 4.5-8 cm long, adaxially acute, glabrous, abaxially with deciduous, flattened yellowish-brown scales; leaf blade simple or divided in one or both sides in up to 2 pinnae, 0.7-1.4 times as long as wide, bifid at apex in 70-77% of its length, simple leaves with the segments oblong-lanceolate, acute to acuminate, 22-25 x 3.5-5 cm, forming an angle of ca. 50-60°, divided leaves with falcate to sigmoid pinnae 21-23 x 3.5-5 cm, separated 2-4 cm at the insertion; primary veins 11-15 on each side, forming an angle of 18-58° with the rachis, prominent and acute on both sides, with deciduous scales abaxially; secondary veins impressed adaxially, prominent and scaly abaxially, the surface papiraceous, glabrous. Inflorescence interfoliar, spicate, dark red in fruit; peduncle 7.5-8 cm long, 4-5 mm diameter, covered with small, yellowish-brown, deciduous scales; prophyll 4.5-5 x 1.2-1.5 cm, membranaceous to subcoriaceous, thin, striate, with yellowish-brown scales; peduncular bract similar to the prophyll, inserted 1.5-2 cm above the prophyll insertion, 3.5-4.5 cm long, almost enclosed by the prophyll or exceeding it for less than 1 cm; spike 17-20 cm long, 2-3 mm in diameter, folded and twisted in bud, not cylindrical but narrowed between the distant flowerpits, smooth, with few elongated, appressed, yellowish-brown scales, at the apex with a slender point up to 1 cm long; pits bilabiate, 2-3 mm wide, spirally and loosely arranged, almost decussate at the middle, the pits of each row separated 6-8 mm; lips strongly projected up to 2 mm beyond the spike surface, upper lip emarginate, lower lip conspicuously bifid. Staminate flowers ellipsoid-obovoid, ca. 4 mm long; sepals elliptic lanceolate, 4-4.5 mm long, acute, carinate to subcarinate; petals elliptic, ca. 4 x 2 mm, acute, thick; stamens 6, filaments connate for about 2 mm at base; anthers 2-2.5 mm long, strongly reflexed from the filaments; pistilode 1-1.5 mm long, deeply trifid. Pistillate flowers ovate-ellipsoid, about 5 mm long; sepals 3.5-4 mm long, acute, carinate; petals 4-4.5 mm long, acute, connate for 2 mm at base; staminodial tube ca. 4 mm long, truncate to slightly dentate; pistil ovate-elongate. Fruits ellipsoid, acute at apex, 8-9 x 6-7 mm, black, the surface with minute and elongate tubercles. (NEW SPECIES AND NEW RECORDS OF COLOMBIAN PALMS Dr's. GLORIA GALEANO & RODRIGO BERNAL 2002) Editing by edric.

Culture

Comments and Curiosities

Etymology: Geonoma wilsoni is named after botanist Wilson Mario Malagón, who studied the palm flora on the eastern slopes of the Andes near Florencia, a research that led to the discovery of the new species.

This species is completely different from any other species of Geonoma, on account of its leaf blade deeply bifid, wider than long or scarcely longer than wide, simple or with up to two pinnae on a short rachis, and its long spicate and loosely pitted inflorescence. In Wessels Boer’s (1968) treatment of the Geonomoid palms the new species cannot be keyed out. The most similar species is G. arundinacea Mart., which resembles G. wilsoni only in its inflorescence. Although inflorescences of G. arundinacea, as circumscribed by Henderson (1995) are variable, those of some specimens, e. g., the type (pl. 218 in Dahlgren 1959), Martius’s (1823) plate, J. Torres et al. 9994 (COL), resemble inflorescences of G. wilsoni in size and in the arrangement and shape of the flower pits, and shape and size of the prophyll and the peduncular bract. However G. arundinacea has smaller pits (up to 2 mm vs. 2-3 mm), and smooth fruits (vs. with minute and elongate tubercles). On the other hand, the two species are completely different vegetatively. G. arundinacea is cespitose (vs. solitary) and has leaf blades oblong to oblongobovate, 2.2-2.5 times as long as wide (vs. blade obovate to oblate in profile, 0.7-1.4 times as long as wide), bifid at apex in 23-37% of its length (vs. bifid in 70-77%), with 16-23 primary veins (vs. 11-15). (NEW SPECIES AND NEW RECORDS OF COLOMBIAN PALMS Dr's. GLORIA GALEANO & RODRIGO BERNAL 2002)




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).

NEW SPECIES AND NEW RECORDS OF COLOMBIAN PALMS Dr's. GLORIA GALEANO & RODRIGO BERNAL 2002.


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

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