Wettinia aequalis

Wettinia (weh-tin-EE-ah) aequalis (eh-KWAHL-iss)
Chaco, Argentina. Photo by Prof. José A. Grassia (Pindo).
Scientific Classification
Genus: Wettinia (weh-tin-EE-ah) Species: aequalis (eh-KWAHL-iss)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Panama, W Colombia, and W Ecuador, at elevations below 800 m. In Ecuador it

Mallorca, Balears Islands, Spain. Photo by Duathor.

often replaces Wettinia quinaria as a dominant subcanopy species in areas with a slightly seasonal climate.

Range: S. America - Ecuador, Colombia; C. America - Panama.

Lowland and premontane rain forest, at elevations up to 500 metres. (Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Dr's Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.)

Description

Wettinia aequalis is a single-stemmed, evergreen palm growing from 6 - 8 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 10 - 12cm in diameter; there are stilt roots up to 50cm long at the base; the stem is topped by a crown of 5 - 6 leaves. (Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Dr's Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.)

Subcanopy palm. Stem solitary, 4-10 m tall and 7-13 cm in diameter, distally with persisting, dead sheaths. Leaves 3-5 m long; pinnae 20-35 on each side, entire, spreading horizontally in one plane, glabrous on both sides, the central ones 70-110 cm long and 7-16 cm wide. Inflorescences 3-11 per node; peduncle 15-35 cm long; rachis 2-20 cm long; branches 2-10; male inflorescence branches 15-25 cm long; male inflorescence branches to 115 cm long in fruit, strongly pendulous. Male flowers 7-8 mm long, with 5-9 stamens. Female flowers dispersed along the branches, 10-11 mm long. Fruit yellow at maturity, 2-3 cm long and 1.5-2 cm in diameter. (Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The outsides of the stems are very hard. They are used in construction, especially for the walls of houses. (Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Dr's Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.)

The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its stems. (Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas Dr's Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.)

Wettinia are lovely South American palms with beautiful dark green foliage. Wettinia aequalis, from Ecuador and Colombia, is a solitary species, 6 to 8 m tall, with stilt roots and a handsome crown of horizontally spreading, dark, glossy leaves. The attractive seeds are easy and fast to germinate, and the resultant young plants can make very unusual interior specimens. It is an excellent palm for the wet tropics or subtropics. (RPS.com)

• IMAGE GALLERY
• 

  Chaco, Argentina. Photo by Prof. José A. Grassia (Pindo).

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  Mallorca, Balears Islands, Spain. Photo by Duathor.

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  Mallorca, Balears Islands, Spain. Photo by Duathor.

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  Panama. Photo by Alejandro De Sedas.

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  Panama. Photo by Alejandro De Sedas.

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  Photograph by: T. Croat.

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  Florabunda Palms. Photo by knell.

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  Las Marias, PR. Photo by Cindy Adair.

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  Las Marias, PR. Photo by Cindy Adair.

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  Las Marias, PR. Photo by Cindy Adair.

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  Las Marias, PR. Photo by Cindy Adair.

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  Las Marias, PR. Photo by Cindy Adair.

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  Photo by Philippe Alvarez.

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  Photo by Philippe Alvarez.

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  Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com

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  Photo-Rare Palm Seeds.com

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  Photo by Alex.

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  Photo by Alex.

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  Photo by Alex.

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External Links

• Glossary of Palm Terms
• MODERN BOTANICAL LATIN
• "Just To Be Clear"
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaO_3I42Pig
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaO_3I42Pig

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).

Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador

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

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