Eremospatha macrocarpa
Eremospatha (eh-reh-moh-SPAH-thah) macrocarpa (mak-roh-KAR-pah) | |||||||
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Near Limbe, Cameroon. Leaf sheaths and basal leaflets. Photo by Dr. John Dransfield, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Benin, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Zaire. Eremospatha macrocarpa is a very widespread and common species and is distributed from Senegal in West Africa through to the lowland forests of the Congo Basin. This species is extremely light demanding, occurring naturally in gap vegetation and forest margins. As a result of this, in common with other members of the genus, E. macrocarpa responds extremely well to selective logging activities and is a common component of regrowth vegetation. (T.C.H Sunderland, A taxonomic revision of the rattans of Africa (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) in Phytotaxa 51. 2012)/Palmweb.Description
Clustered slender to moderate palm climbing to 50-75 m, rarely to 150 m. Stems circular in cross-section, without sheaths, 10-18 mm in diameter, with 22-30 mm; internodes 13-16 cm long. Leaf sheath longitudinally striate, sparsely to moderately covered with light brown scale-like indumentum; ocrea entire, ± truncate saddle-shaped with a 2.5-4.0 cm rounded lobe adaxial to the leaf; knee absent. Juvenile stems up to 20 m long; stem with sheath, <1.5 cm in diameter; ocrea with distinct linear wrinkle on adaxial side; petiole <1 cm long; leaves bifid, up to 40 cm × 50 cm, deeply notched, lobes sharply triangular; cirrus up to 80 cm long, emerging from the centre; elaminate rachis often present on juvenile stems, 50-75 cm long. Leaves on mature stems sessile, up to 3.5 m long; rachis 1-1.5 m long, abaxially rounded, adaxially flattened, becoming trapezoid then rounded in cross-section distally, armed along the margins with inequidistant, reflexed thorns, becoming sparsely armed distally, underside of rachis with sparse light brown indumentum; cirrus 1.2-2 m long, unarmed; leaflets, up to 25 pairs on each side of the rachis, linear-lanceolate, abruptly contracted at the base, irregularly and narrowly praemorse at apex, 22-35 cm long × 2-2.5 cm broad at the widest point, concolorous, with 5-7 inconspicuous transverse veinlets 1-2 mm apart, armed along the margins with inequidistant, curved, forward-facing brown-tan spines; lowermost leaflets, smaller than the rest, linear-ovate, reflexed and laxly clasping the stem; acanthophylls ca.3 cm long, parallel to cirrus. Inflorescence glabrous, up to 55 cm long; peduncle 10-15 cm long; rachis 25-40 cm long, arching outwards, rarely straight; rachis bracts, acuminate, opposite proximally, alternate distally, 1-3 mm long, decreasing distally; rachillae distichous, arching vertically, sometimes horizontal, straight, 10-14 on each side, 12-18 cm long, decreasing distally, adnate to the inflorescence axis for 0.5-1.5 mm, with <1 mm-long triangular incomplete bracts subtending each dyad. Flowers borne in close pairs; calyx 3 mm long × 6 mm wide at the mouth, with 3 distinct, rounded, lobes; corolla 10 mm long × 4 mm wide, divided to ¼ of its length; stamens united into 5 mm-long epipetalous ring; free filaments <0.5 mm; anthers <1 mm long; ovary 4 mm × 2.5 mm tipped with ca.2 mm-long style. Fruit at maturity 1-seeded, rarely 2-seeded, ± cylindrical, 2.2-2.6 cm long × 1-1.5 cm wide, with 17-24 rows of vertical scales. Seed compressed, 1.8-2 cm long × 1.4-1.8 cm wide × 1 cm thick, flattened on one side or with a shallow depression, embryo lateral, raised, opposite the flattened side. (T.C.H Sunderland, A taxonomic revision of the rattans of Africa (Arecaceae: Calamoideae) in Phytotaxa 51. 2012)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.
Culture
Eremospatha macrocarpa has a long germination period and high initial seed mortality. In Cameroon an annual extension growth of 3.2 m has proven possible, making Eremospatha macrocarpa very suitable for short rotation agroforestry. All Eremospatha species are pleonanthic, i.e. the stems do not die after flowering. The seeds of most African rattans are dispersed primarily by birds (especially hornbills). However, primates, predominantly drills and mandrills (two species of forest primate related to the baboon), chimpanzees and gorillas are also key dispersal agents, as are elephants. Predation by rodents accounts for some additional dispersal. (prota4u.org)
In Africa rattans are usually exploited from wild sources, and there is little cultivation despite favourable ecological factors and growth rates that suggest cultivation would be feasible. This contrasts with the situation in South-East Asia, where traditional rattan cultivation practices exist such as the cultivation in mixed gardens by sedentary cultivators or in recently burned forests by shifting cultivators. In Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon community-based trials concentrating on the introduction of rattans into agro-forestry systems and enrichment planting of farm bush and secondary forest have been established but farmer adoption has remained low. (prota4u.org)
Propagation by seed is possible, but germination is slow and seed mortality high. Trials in Cameroon showed germination rates of 32.5%, with a time to first emergence of 96 days. In nursery trials with suckers in Côte d’Ivoire shoots emerged 43–93 days after planting. In on-farm trials in Ghana, Nigeria and Cameroon a high post-planting mortality was recorded, which is attributed to neglect and predation by rodents. (prota4u.org)
Comments and Curiosities
Etymology: The specific epithet from the Latin, literally; large-fruits.
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Eremospatha is one of the three rattan genera endemic to Africa. It comprises 11 species, which are easily distinguished from each other on the basis of vegetative characteristics. This species produces the longest canes of any African species of rattan palm, and is also said to produce the best quality canes. It is much harvested for use in basketry etc. The stems are used for making hammock bridges, baskets, binding house rafters etc. The stems are about 15 mm in diameter. The rind is made into garden furniture and chairs. (prota4u.org) Uses: (root) Medicines: venereal diseases (fruit (elephant)) Agri-horticulture: fodder (cane) Products: building materials (cane rind) Products: fibre (cane) Products: farming, forestry, hunting and fishing apparatus (cane) Products: household, domestic and personal items. The whole stems are ideal for building cane bridges due to their flexibility. They are also used for binding in house construction and for making furniture. In Ghana they are woven into screens for fencing. The split stems are used for making baskets and mats. The bark is easily peeled off and provides strong cordage. The leaves are used for thatching. Potential uses of the stem include the production of particle board and briquettes from waste material from furniture making. In traditional medicine in Ghana and Nigeria the powdered root is taken for the treatment of syphilis. (prota4u.org) Production and international trade: The cane of Eremospatha macrocarpa is widely traded and one of the favoured commercial rattans in West and Central Africa. However, very limited information is available on rattan exports from African countries. It is known that Ghana supplied a significant proportion of the canes in the United Kingdom market during the period between the two World Wars. There have also been reports of export of raw cane from Ghana and Nigeria to South-East Asia, and of a flourishing export trade from Nigeria to Korea. The local trade forms a significant part of the local economy in both rural and urban communities, with many people involved in the rattan industry. In Ghana, for instance, the rattan industry is estimated to contribute about 20% of the total revenue from the trade in non-timber forest products (NTFPs). However, many processors have complaints about the low price they get for finished products. For example, 50% of weavers in Ghana mentioned the low price of and irregular demand for finished products as the most important constraints in the marketing of rattan products. In urban areas products are rarely sold from formal display centres but mostly in informal stalls along roads. The amount of rattan canes supplied to urban markets in West and Central Africa has been estimated at a total length of 340,000 m per month. The unit of trade of commercial rattans is the ‘packet’, which, for small-diameter canes such as Eremospatha macrocarpa, comprises 20 stems 5 m long. (prota4u.org) Properties: Eremospatha macrocarpa is the best source of cane in Africa. The stems are flexible and of comparable quality to the small-diameter rattans of South-East Asia. The stem is reddish brown and light to medium weight, with a density of 440–560 kg/m³ when oven-dry. At 12% moisture content stems from Nigeria had a modulus of rupture of 11 N/mm² and a modulus of elasticity of 520 N/mm². The stems are fairly durable but susceptible to attacks by termites. Air-dried samples of the stems in Nigeria were recorded to contain per 100 g: water 16.2 g, energy 1336 kJ (319 kcal), protein 3.9 g, fat 0.5 g, carbohydrate 77.9 g, ash 1.6 g, Ca 187 mg, Mg 39 mg. (prota4u.org) Diseases and pests: The stems have very high starch and moisture contents, which render them highly susceptible to attacks by fungi and insects. Fungi cause discoloration of the canes, while beetles cause pinholes or worm holes. Defects resulting from infections by fungi and beetles can result in severe post-harvest losses. Seedlings of Eremospatha macrocarpa are eaten by rodents. (prota4u.org) A climbing palm with polished, ringed stems to 50 m long; in swamp-forest; from Sierra Leone to W Cameroons.This is the longest of the W African rattans and is said to be the best. The canes are usually about 1½ cm diameter. |
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).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.