Bactris pickelii Burret, Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 34: 199 (1934)

Primary tabs

Atlantic Coastal Forest of Brazil (Alagoas, Bahia, Espírito Santo, Pernambuco), lowland rain forest, at 30-200 m elevation.

Bactris pickelii is diagnosed by its staminate flowers open in bud with the stamens visible. The holotype was destroyed and I have not seen the isotype. The original description, and recent collections from near the type locality, leave little doubt as to the application of the name.

Stems rarely solitary, usually cespitose, 1-3 in tall, 0.5-1.5 cm diam., not spiny on internodes. Leaves 6-10; leaf spines scattered, brown or black, to 1.5 cm long, few on sheath and petiole, mostly absent from rachis; sheath 10-17 cm long, fibrous; ocrea to 3 cm long; petiole 8-25 cm long; rachis 18-50 cm long; pinnae 4-9 per side (or occasionally blade simple or mostly simple), irregularly arranged, spreading in the same or different planes, sigmoid, with fine spinules along the margins, slightly to densely pilose abaxially; middle pinnae 15-30 x 2.5-6.5 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 3-7 cm long, recurved, spinulose; prophyll 8-10 cm long; peduncular bract 7-18 cm long, densely covered with soft, brown or black, appressed spines; rachis 2-3 cm long; rachillae 2-4, 1-4 cm long, at anthesis glabrous; triads irregularly arranged among paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 2-3 mm long, open in bud with the stamens visible; sepal lobes to 1 mm long; petals 2-3 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode absent; pistillate flowers to 3 mm long; calyx annular, 0.5 mm long; corolla tubular, to 3 mm long; staminodes 6, small; fruits to 1.8 x 1.2-1.5 cm, obovoid, rostrate, reddish purple; mesocarp starchy; endocarp obovoid, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally; endocarp fibers few; fruiting perianth with small calyx to 1 mm long and irregularly lobed, 3 mm long corolla, without staminodial ring.