Bactris riparia

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Bactris (BAHK-triss)
riparia (rihp-ahr-EE-ah)
Br2788279.jpg
Yasuni National Park, Orellana, Ecuador. Photo by Dr. William J. Baker, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew/Palmweb.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Bactris (BAHK-triss)
Species:
riparia (rihp-ahr-EE-ah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Clustering & caespitose.
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Bolívia: chontilla, marajaú, marayau. Brazil: marajá, marajá pupunha. Colombia: chontadurillo, ponilla. Ecuador; chonta durillo, pa'ine (Siona). Peru: ñeja , ñejilla de canto de cocha.

Habitat and Distribution

Colombia (Amazonas), Ecuador (Sucumbíos), Peru (Loreto, Ucayali), Brazil (Acre, Amazonas), and Bolívia (Beni, La Paz, Pando, Santa Cruz); black-water regions
Near Yarina, Yanayacu River, Pacaya-Samiria, Loreto, Peru. Photo by Dr. Nigel Smith.
(less commonly on white water rivers) at the margins of streams, rivers, and lakes, often where the stems are partially submerged for at least part of the year, at 120-300 m elevation. Margins of blackwater (and occasionally whitewater) rivers and lakes, often where its roots are submerged by seasonal floods.

Description

Stems cespitose, usually forming large clumps, 3-10 (-15) m tall, 4.5-10 cm in diam., spiny on internodes. Leaves 4-18; leaf spines clustered, black or brownish, tomentose, somewhat flattened, to 7 cm long, dense on sheath and lateral surfaces of petiole, fewer on rachis; sheath 30-60 cm long, sheath, petiole, and rachis whitish brown-tomentose; ocrea to 5 cm long; petiole 10-70 cm long; rachis 0.8-1.6 m long; pinnae 33-62 per side, irregularly arranged in indistinct clusters of 2-7, spreading in different planes, linear, briefly and asymmetrically bifid apically, with small, marginal spinules and occasionally with spines on veins abaxially, usually with soft brown hairs to 2 mm long abaxially, especially on veins; middle pinnae 40-69 x 1.5-2.5 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 10-20 cm long, recurved, spiny; prophyll 8-15 cm long; peduncular bract 30-47 cm long, whitish tomentose and densly to moderately covered with black spines; rachis 7-8 cm long; rachillae 24-50, to 15 cm long, at anthesis densely covered with brown, moniliform trichomes; triads irregularly arranged among paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 4-6 mm long, deciduous; sepal lobes 1-1.5 mm long; petals 3.5-5 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode absent; pistillate flowers 4.5-6 mm long; calyx cupular, 1-1.5 mm long; corolla tubular, 4-5 mm long; staminodes absent; fruits 1.5-2 cm in diam., depressed globose, orange-red or green; mesocarp starchy; endocarp turbinate, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally; endocarp fibers numerous, free or adherent 139 to the endocarp; fruiting perianth with small, undulate calyx and much longer 3-lobed corolla, without staminodial ring. (Henderson, A.J., Bactris (Palmae) in Flora Neotropica Monographs 79. 2000)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Bactris riparia is diagnosed by its 33-62, linear pinnae per side that are briefly and asymmetrically bifid apically, and with soft brown hairs to 2 mm long abaxially. It was included by Sanders (1991) in the Corossilla clade; however the endocarp fibers are either free or adherent 10 the endocarp (as in B. setulosa), and B. riparia appears closer to B. gasipaes. Bactris longifrons and Guilielma mattogrossensis were included by Henderson (1995) and Henderson et al. (1995) as synonyms of B. riparia; the former is here treated under "Doubtful Names and Excluded Taxa," and the latter as a synonym of B. gasipaes var. chichagui. (Henderson, A.J., Bactris (Palmae) in Flora Neotropica Monographs 79. 2000)/Palmweb.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10a

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: Combs are made from thin strips of the stem. The palm-heart is edible. The stem is used to make improvised hunting spears and harpoons. In certain parts of Amazon, such as in Manco Capac along the Rio Puinahua, fishermen prepare juice (refresco) when the fruits turn purple, signifying the are ripe. The fruits are used as a bait when fishing "Gamitana", "Paco", "Sabalo" and "Palometa".

A densely clustering species with slender, cane-like stems and finely pinnate, upright leaves. B. riparia is native to the western Amazon region where it is found growing along rivers in seasonally flooded areas. A nice addition to the tropical garden. (RPS.com)



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).

Henderson, A.J., Bactris (Palmae) in Flora Neotropica Monographs 79. 2000


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

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