Euterpe longibracteata

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Euterpe (yoo-TEHR-peh) longibracteata
(lon-jee-brahk-teh-AH-tah)
Large5444.jpg
Brazil. Photo by Dr. William Milliken, RGB/KEW.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Euterpe (yoo-TEHR-peh)
Species: longibracteata
(lon-jee-brahk-teh-AH-tah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Clustering
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Brazil: acaí chumbo, acaí da mata, assay da terra firme.

Habitat and Distribution

Brazil North, Brazil West-Central, Guyana, Venezuela (Amazonas, Bolívar, Delta Amacuro),
Brazil. Photo by Dr. William Milliken, RGB/KEW.
Guyana, and Brazil (Amazonas, Mato Grosso, Pará); lowland forest, usually on terra firme but also in inundated areas, at low elevations.

Description

Stems solitary or occasionally caespitose (growing in tufts or clumps), erect, 5-15(-20) m tall, 5-8 cm in diam. , with a cone of orange to red roots at base, these 0.5-1.5 m long. Leaves 8-9 in the crown, spreading; sheath 0.8-1.5 m long including a 1 cm long ligule, green, with scattered, reddish brown, wooly scales; petiole 19-41 cm long, with scaltered scales like those of sheath adaxially, glabrous and yellowish green abaxially; rachis 2.5-3 m long, with scales like those of petiole adaxially, glabrous abaxially; pinnae 70-79 per side, spreading, pendulous, subopposite, with prominent midvein and 2 lateral, submarginal veins, the midvein with few to many ramenta abaxially; basal pinna 39-45 x 0.3-0.6 cm; middle pinnae 52-59 x 1.5-2.5 cm; apical pinna 14-21 x 0.5-0.6 cm. Inflorescences infrafoliar, ± horizontal at anthesis; peduncle 6-10 cm long, 1.5-2.5 cm in diam., densely covered with brown, branched hairs; prophyll 45-65 cm long, 5 cm in diam.; peduncular bract 60-68 cm long including a 2 cm long umbo, 7 cm in diam.; rachis 11 - 36 cm long, with hairs like those of peduncle; rachillae ca. 60, 21-45 cm long, 1.5-2 mm diam. at anthesis, 2.5 mm in diam. in fruit, absent from most of adaxial surface of rachis, drying brown, densely covered with 0.3 mm long, branched, stiff, whitish hairs; flowers in triads almost to apex of rachillae; triad bracteole prominent; first nower bracteole obscure, second and third flower bracteoles unequal, the longest 0.7 mm long; staminate flowers to 5.5 mm long; sepals very widely ovate, abruptly acuminate, to 2 mm long, gibbous, ciliate; petals ovate, 5 mm long, abruptly acuminate; stamens arranged on a short receptacle; filaments 1.5 mm long, flattened, briefly connate below; anthers 3 mm long; pistillode 2 mm long, deeply trifid at apex; pistillate flowers to 3 mm long; sepals very widely ovate, 2.5 mm long, minutely ciliate; petals very widely ovate, 2.5 mm long, minutely ciliate. Fruits globose, 1- 1.2 cm in diam., the stigmatic remains prominent, subapical or lateral; epicarp purple-black, minutely tuberculate; seeds globose; endosperm homogeneous; eophyll not seen. (Gloria Galeano and A. Henderson)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

This species, one of the most poorly known of the genus, occurs sympatrically with Euterpe precatoria and less often with E. oleracea. The large peduncular bracts described by Barbosa Rodrigues (1875) have not been observed on our specimens. His description and illustration (Barbosa Rodrigues, 1903), however, agree so well with our specimens that we have little doubt that they all represent the same species. (Gloria Galeano and A. Henderson)/Palmweb.

Culture

Comments and Curiosities



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).

Gloria Galeano & A. Henderson. Flora Neotropica. New York Botanical Garden.


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

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