Syagrus sancona

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Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs)
sancona (san-KONA)
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Medellin, Colombia. (1,500 Mts. or 5,000 feet above see level), photos by Jeff Anderson.
Scientific Classification
Genus: Syagrus (see-AHG-ruhs)
Species:
sancona (san-KONA)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
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Morphology
Habit: Solitary
Leaf type: Pinnate
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Syagrus sancona is found in Western South America, Bolivia, Brazil North,
Medellin, Colombia. (1,500 Mts. or 5,000 feet above see level), photos by Jeff Anderson.
Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela. often in seasonal forest. Its ecology in Ecuador is quite remarkable: it occurs in dry forest in West Ecuador, but in wet forest in East Ecuador. In Brazil in the state of Acre , in the Amazon rainforest in mainland areas of floodplain . It's also distributed throughout the region and, up to 1,200 m altitude and in lower areas adjacent. Lowland to premontane forest, gallery forest, and also commonly left in pastures when the forest is cleared; usually in drier and more seasonal regions; at elevations up to 1,200 metres.

Description

Subcanopy or canopy palm. Stem solitary, 10-30 m tall and 20-35 cm in diameter. Leaves 3.5-4.5 m long; pinnae 150-170 on each side, inserted in groups of 2-7 and spreading in different planes, the central ones 60-100 cm long and 3.5-5 cm wide. Crown holds about 8-10 leaves. Inflorescence 1-1.5 m long, with 100-150 simple, spreading branches, to 65 cm long. Male flowers about 10 mm long. Female flowers 5-10 mm long. Fruit yellow to orange when ripe, 3-3.5 cm long and 1.5-2 cm in diameter, with seed round in cross-section.

Syagrus sancona is a single-stemmed, palm that can grow from 7 - 30 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 20 - 30 cm in diameter; it is topped by a crown of 8 - 16, dark green leaves that can each be up to 3.5 metres long. (Dr's Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.)

The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its stems. It is widely grown as an ornamental in parks and large gardens

Juvenile plants have a characteristic marked bulge at the base of the trunk, which easily identifies them among other Syagrus. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold hardy to about 26 degrees. Rich well draining soil will result in best growing conditions. Syagrus sancona should be planted in full sun, but should have some protection in high heat inland locations, or in Florida.

Succeeds in the tropics and the subtropics, being able to tolerate occasional light frosts when temperatures fall to -2°c. The plant can take full sun from an early age. Extremely easy to grow in a wide variety of conditions, established plants are drought resistant.

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Comments and Curiosities

Uses: The trunks are often used in rural buildings for water conveyance. Ornamental, with great potential for use in landscaping. The indigenous Quichua of Ecuador use the endocarps for necklaces that are sold as souvenirs. The Indigenous Sirionó, and Tacana of Bolivia, and the Shuar of Ecuador, and the Shipibo-Conibo of Peru, use the wood as an occasional source of loom parts. All of the above eat the fruit, use the leaves for thatch, and use the wood for; utensils and tools, house construction, fences, hunting and fishing. The Indigenous Tsimane/Mosetene of Bolivia use the seeds for Personal adornment. The stems are used for fencing and as pipes for transporting water.

The Syagrus sancona, also known as the Columbian Foxtail Palm, grows up to 3,000 feet in elevation in the Andes Mountains of northern South America, where it is widespread, though not common, and shows some tolerance of cold. It is one of the tallest of the genus and can attain an incredible 100 foot stature.

Juvenile Syagrus sancona show a marked bulge at the base of the trunk which easily identifies them among others in the same genus. The mature palm is a wonderful sight, with its dense, recurving leaves, justifying its position as the most attractive in the genus. Its beautiful, long leaves are very feather-like and somewhat recurved, resembling a foxtail (hence the common name).

The trunks of these palms are often used in rural buildings for water conveyance. The indigenous Quichua of Ecuador use the endocarps for necklaces that are sold as souvenirs. The Indigenous Sirionó, and Tacana of Bolivia, and the Shuar of Ecuador, and the Shipibo-Conibo of Peru, use the wood as an occasional source of loom parts. All of the above eat the fruit, use the leaves for thatch, and use the wood for; utensils and tools, house construction, fences, hunting and fishing. The Indigenous Tsimane/Mosetene of Bolivia use the seeds for Personal adornment.(Alejandro Bayer Tamayo)

Syagrus sancona grows up to 1200m in the Andes Mountains of South America, where it is widespread, though not common, and shows some tolerance of cold. It is one of the tallest of the genus and can attain an incredible 30m (100 feet). Juvenile plants show a marked bulge at the base of the trunk which easily identifies them. A mature palm is a wonderful sight, with its dense, plumose, beautifully recurving leaves, justifying its position as the most attractive in the genus. (RPS.com)



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).


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

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