Bactris elegans

Bactris (BAHK-triss) elegans (EHL-eh-ganz)
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Scientific Classification
Genus: Bactris (BAHK-triss) Species: elegans (EHL-eh-ganz)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
Morphology
Habit: Solitary Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
Brazil: marajá. Colombia: eérü (Huitoto). French Guiana: wili (Wayâpi). Guyana: firichí. Suriname: akamin-ékoenari, moeroekoe.

Habitat and Distribution

Amazon region of Colombia (Amazonas), the Guianas, Brazil (Amazonas, Pará, Rondonia), and Bolivia (Pando). Lowland rain forest on terrafirme, at 100-275 m elevation. [[]]

Description

Stems cespitose, forming loose to dense clumps of up to 8 stems, 1.5-3.5 m tall, 0.8-1.5 cm in diam., spiny or not spiny on internodes. Leaves 6-13 in the crown; leaf spines scattered, terete, black or dark brown, rarely yellowish, to 4 cm long, on sheath and proximal part of petiole, usually absent from rachis; sheath 9-30 cm long; ocrea to 4 cm long; petiole 11-40 cm long; rachis 47-75 cm long, densely covered with soft, fine, brown spinules to 1 mm long; pinnae 17-32 per side, regularly arranged except for gaps, spreading in the same plane, linear-Ianceolate to almost sigmoid, asymmetrically and briefly bifid and pendulous apically, glossy green adaxially, with small spines on margins; middle pinnae 9-22 x 1-2.5 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 18-25 cm long, recurved, spiny; prophyll 10-15 cm long; peduncular bract 30-42 cm long, densely brown-tomentose with few to many black spines to 1.5 cm long; rachis absent; rachillae (1-)2, 8-15 cm long, at anthesis densely covered with reddish brown tomentum and brown, moniliform trichomes; triads irregularly arranged among paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 4-5.5 mm long, deciduous; sepal lobes 1-2 mm long; petals 4-5 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode small; pistillate flowers 3-4 mm long; calyx tubular, 2.5-3 mm long; corolla tubular, 3-3.5 mm long; staminodes absent; fruits 1.2-1.7 cm in diam., globose, rostrate, purple-black; mesocarp juicy; endocarp depressed-oblong, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally; endocarp fibers free, numerous, with juice sacs attached; fruiting perianth with deeply 3-lobed calyx almost as long as the 3-lobed corolla, without staminodial ring. (Henderson, A.J., Bactris (Palmae) in Flora Neotropica Monographs 79. 2000)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Bactris elegans is diagnosed by its small, regularly arranged (but with gaps), asymmetrically and briefly bifid, glossy green pinnae, inflorescence with (1-)2 rachillae, and purple-black, globose fruits. (Henderson, A.J., Bactris (Palmae) in Flora Neotropica Monographs 79. 2000)/Palmweb.

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The fruit and the palm heart are edible.