Chamaedorea palmeriana
| Chamaedorea (kahm-eh-doh-REH-ah) palmeriana (palm-er'-ee-ahn-ah) | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Chamaedorea palmeriana is found in Costa Rica, and Panamá. PANAMA. Chiriqui,
Description
Habit: solitary, slender, erect but often creeping or decumbent, to 1 m high. Stem: 7-10 mm in diam., smooth, green, ringed, internodes 5-10 cm long, often with aerial roots at base and rooting along its length. Leaves: 7 or sometimes more per crown, spreading, bifid; sheath 5-7 cm long, tubular, green, minutely white-spotted, obliquely open apically, faintly longitudinally striate-nerved; petiole to 15 cm long, flattened and green above, rounded and green below; rachis 8-12 cm long, angled and green above, rounded below with a faint pale yellow or light green band extending onto sheath; blade to 25 x 25 cm, deeply bifid apically to more than 1/2 its length, ± thin, ± papery, bright emerald green, lobes to 9 x 15 cm, corrugated with 12-14 prominent nerves at top of each ridge above, exterior margins toothed. Inflorescences: interfoliar, erect; peduncles to 20-30 cm long, slender, 5-7 mm wide at base and there ± flattened, 2-3 mm in diam. at apex and there rounded, greenish in flower, orange in fruit; bracts 4-5, prophyll 5 cm long, 2nd-4th bracts 15 cm long, uppermost not exceeding peduncle, tightly sheathing, longitudinally striate-nerved, acuminate, bifid, green in flower. Staminate with rachis 1-5 cm long, flexuous, greenish in flower; rachillae 2-7, these to 15 cm long, 1-1.5 mm in diam., erect-spreading, longitudinally ridged, green. Pistillate spicate or rarely with 2-3 rachillae; rachis or flower-bearing portion 15-20 cm long, erect, 1.5-2 mm in diam. and greenish in flower, thickened to 2.5 mm in diam. and orange in fruit.
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Flowers: Staminate in moderately dense spirals, 2.5 x 2.5 mm, angular-globose, greenish apically, yellowish basally, slightly sunken; calyx 0.5 x 1.75 mm, deeply lobed, brownish, sepals, connate only briefly basally, broadly rounded apically; petals 2.5 x 2-2.5 mm, valvate, connate apically and basally and adnate apically to pistillode and corolla opening by small basal apertures, these elliptic, 0.5 mm long, orange-brown margin around apertures, rounded-triangular, acute; stamens included; pistillode 2.5 mm high, columnar. Pistillate in rather dense spirals, 3-4 mm apart, 2 x 2 mm, depressed-globose, pale green, slightly sunken; calyx to 0.5 x 2 mm, shallowly lobed, sepals very briefly imbricate or connate basally, broadly rounded apically; petals 2-2.5 x 3 mm, imbricate basally, spreading apically, broadly rounded, acute, greenish or yellowish, 3 mm long in fruit, petals and sepals very lightly nerved on inside; pistil g1obose-subglobose, green, rounded, acute. Fruits: when immature 12 x 6 mm, ellipsoid, green, closely spaced on rachillae, 12 x 8-10 mm when mature, ovoid to globose, black. (Hodel, D.R. 1992)/Palmweb. Editing by edric. C. palmeriana is relatively widespread, occurring in very wet forest from Veraguas Province in Panama westward to at least the upper reaches of the Rio Sarapiqui in Costa Rica. It occurs mainly on the Atlantic slope in Costa Rica and Panama. However, in Panama where the Continental Divide is at a lower elevation, C. palmeriana is sometimes found just over it on the Pacific slope. Chamaedorea palmeriana is closest to C. amabilis but the blades bifid apically to no more than 1.4 their length, double the number of nerves on each side of the rachis (20-25 rather than 12-14), and the globose staminate flowers distinguish the latter species. An attractive species often flowering when no more than 30 cm tall, C. palmeriana is noted for its deeply bifid, corrugated, emerald green leaves. In the wild or when well grown, it is a very leafy plant, often bearing 7-10 leaves in a handsome and compact crown. Unfortunately, like other species ofthe genus from wet, cool, relatively high areas, C. palmeriana is somewhat difficult to cultivate and has only recently been introduced to a few gardens in southern California. (Hodel, D.R. 1992)/Palmweb. |
Culture
In cultivation it prefers an even, humid warm temperate climate, and filtered light.
Comments and Curiosities
Chamaedorea are dioecious, male, and female flowers, on separate plants.
Etymology: Honors Richard W. Palmer who supported and encouraged my work in palms, especially that of Chamaedorea.
- IMAGE GALLERY
Panama.
Panama.
Panama.
Panama.
Panama.
Panama.
Panama.
Costa Rica.
Costa Rica.
Costa Rica.
PANAMA: Chiriqui.
PANAMA: Chiriqui.
PANAMA: Chiriqui.
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).
Hodel, D.R.1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.
