Prestoea longipetiolata

Prestoea (pres-toh-EH-ah) longipetiolata (lonj-ih-pet-ee-oh-LAH-tah)
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Scientific Classification
Genus: Prestoea (pres-toh-EH-ah) Species: longipetiolata (lonj-ih-pet-ee-oh-LAH-tah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Clustering, occasionally solitary. Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Colombia, Costa Rica, Nicaragua,

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Panamá, and Venezuela.

Description

Stems cespitose, usually with one stem well-developed and with basal suckers, occasionally solitary, often repent or procumbent, 0.3-3 m tall, 2-5 (-10) cm in diam., usually partially covered with persistent leaf bases, with reddish roots visible at base. Leaves 4-6 in the crown, spreading; sheath open and not forming a crownshaft, 30-43 cm long, fibrous on margins distally and with a 4 cm long fibrous ligule, sheath, petiole and rachis densely covered with brown, felt- like tomentum, glabrescent; petiole 0.5-2 m long; rachis 1.1-2 m long; pinnae 17-33 per side, regularly arranged and horizontally spreading in one plane, subopposite to alternate, linear-lanceolate, long acuminate, with a prominent midvein and several lateral veins, veins with or without ramenta abaxially, obscurely punctate abaxially; basal pinna 13-55 x 0.5-1.5 cm; middle pinnae 34-69 x 1.5- 3.5 cm; apical pinna 11-40 x 0.5-6 cm; simple leaves with blade cuneate, 72-86 cm long, 25-26 cm wide, with 16-17 primary veins per side. Inflorescences interfoliar, arching or erect, corymbose; peduncle 0.1-1 m long, 0.5-1.1 cm in diam., ± terete, sparsely to densely covered with brown peltate-lacerate scales; prophyll 9.5-37 cm long, 1.5- 2.5 cm in diam., ± glabrous; peduncular bract 0.3-1. 1 m long including 2-3 cm umbo, 2-4 cm in diam., abaxially with appressed, brown scales, persistent; rachis 1-16 (-40) cm long, with hairs like those of peduncle; raellillae 2-20, 9-40 cm long (all ± the same length on an inflorescence), 1-2 mm diam. at anthesis, subtended by bracteoles to 6 cm long proximally, moderately to densely covered with reddish brown or mixed reddish brown and whitish, flexuous, flattened woolly hairs, occasionally almost glabrous; flowers in triads from ½, almost to the ends of the rachillae, paired or solitary staminate distally; triad bracteole apiculate; first flower bracteole obscure, second and third flower bracteoles ± equal, rounded, 0.5-0.6 mm long; Staminale flowers 4.5-6 mm long; sepals deltate, 1-2 mm long, gibbous; petals lanceolate, 4.5-5.5 mm long; filaments 2-2.5 mm long, lanceolate; anthers 2.5-3 mm long; pistillode 2-3 mm long, trifid at apex; pistiliate flowers 2.5-4 mm long; sepals depressed ovate, 2-3 mm long, fleshy; petals depressed ovate, 2.5-3.5 mm long; staminodes digitate; Fruits globose. 0.7-1 cm in diam., the stigmatic remains subapical; epicarp black, prominently and minutely tuberculate; seeds globose, 5-9 mm in diam.; endosperm ruminate or rarely homogeneous; eophyll bifid. (Gloria Galeano and A. Henderson)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Prestoea longepetiolata is morphologically and ecologically similar to P. carderi, but their ranges seldom overlap. It is a variable species throughout its range. Inflorescences are small with fewer rachillae in the western (Nicaragua) and southern (Colombia and Venezuela) part of its range, but they are much larger in Panama and Costa Rica (except at higher elevations). Two local forms, one from Panama and Costa Rica and the other from Colombia and Venezuela, are here recognized as separate varieties, in addition to the typical variety from Nicaragua to Panama. (Gloria Galeano and A. Henderson)/Palmweb.