Ceroxylon parvum

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Ceroxylon (seh-ROKS-ih-lon)
parvum (PAHR-vuhm)
CerParm.jpg
Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Ceroxylon (seh-ROKS-ih-lon)
Species:
parvum (PAHR-vuhm)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Dwarf Wax Palm

Habitat and Distribution

Ecuador. Southwestern cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, at 1500 m elevation, in
U. of C. Berkeley Botanical Garden, CA. Photo by Jason Dewees.
premontane forests. It is only known as isolated individuals, not forming large populations, and usually kept standing on pastures.

Description

Stem 2.5-6.0 m tall, 9-28 cm in diam, white at base and turning green towards apex, covered with a very thin layer of wax. Leaves 11, in a dense, spherical crown, with dead leaves hanging; sheath 78 cm long, adaxially glabrescent, abaxially covered with a deciduous layer of scales; petiole 10 cm long, covered with indumentum like that of the sheath; rachis 168 cm long, adaxially flattened in ½ of its length, glabrescent, abaxial surface covered with deciduous, membranous scales; pinnae 102-109 on each side, arranged in groups of 2-6, abaxial surface and midrib covered with elliptical, yellowish, 1 mm scales, with 0.3-0.5 mm bases, and arranged in adjacent 0.25 mm wide rows. Staminate inflorescences not seen. Female inflorescences 4 at one time; peduncle 133 cm long, 1.5 cm wide at apex; prophyll 30 cm long, 7.5 cm wide at base; peduncular bracts 5, 47-155 cm long; rachis 65 cm long, with ca. 55 branches, each subtended by a 0.2-0.6 cm membranous bract; longest branches 31 cm long; prophyll, peduncle, bracts and base of rachis covered with brown, persistent, lepidote indumentum, rachillae glabrous. Pistillate flowers: sepals 3, broadly-triangular-acuminate, 1.0-1.5 mm long, connate in 0.6-1.0 mm (½-2/3 of total length), not reaching corolla tube, petals 3, elliptical-acuminate, 5.0-6.5 mm long, including an acumen of 2-3 mm long, connate up to 1.2-2.0 mm; staminodes (7-) 9-11, 1 antisepalous, 2?3 antipetalous, filaments 1 mm long, abortive anthers 0.9-1.2 mm long, pistil green, trifid, 2-3 mm in diam. Fruits globose, orange-red when ripe, 1-2 cm in diam., exocarp smooth to slightly warted; fruiting perianth with sepals triangular-acuminate, 1.0-1.5 mm long, connate in 0.3-1.0, lobes not reaching or reaching the corolla tube; petals ovate-acuminate, connate in 0.3-0.7 mm long, widened at base. Seeds 1.0-1.2 cm in diam. (John Dransfield in Phytotaxa 34 (2011))/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

This species resembles C. pityrophyllum, and some specimens that had been determined as C. parvum are here placed under C. pityrophyllum. However, C. parvum has slender filaments (of the staminodes), and staminodes that vary in number from 7-11, whereas C. pityrophyllum has broad-based filaments of the staminodes, and stamens and staminodes are always six in number. Apparently, C. parvum is a species that does not form large stands, while C. pityrophyllum does. It grows far from C. pityrophyllum, and only on the Western slopes of the Ecuadorian Andes. (John Dransfield in Phytotaxa 34 (2011))/Palmweb.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 9a

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Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The leaves and stem are used in dwelling construction, the leaves are also used in ritual practices, and are sometimes used as fodder.

Rarely reaching more than 5 m (16 ft.) tall with a waxy trunk to only about 15 cm (6 in.) in diameter and a compact crown of spreading, plumose leaves, this wax palm is the smallest species in the genus. It is native to high altitude rain and cloud forests in the Andes in southern Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia between 1400 and about 3100 m (4600 and 10100 ft.). This wide altitudinal range indicates that it should be adaptable to a range of mild temperate and subtropical climates. (RPS.com)

"This Ecuadorian palm is by far the smallest of the genus Ceroxylon. It is also the most adaptable to a tropical climate, as all the other species struggle in a hot, humid climate being from very high altitudes. This palm lives at only 4600-10,100 Ft. elevation, much lower than the other species. It is a solitary, plumose pinnate palm and is very slow growing, but maturing small. The palm in the photo in Hawaii is flowering and barely taller than a person." (Geoff Stein)



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).

John Dransfield in Phytotaxa 34 (2011)


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

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