Aiphanes eggersii Burret, Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 563 (1932)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Ecuador present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)C
Endemic to the dry forest zone in W Ecuador and adjacent NW Peru. (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)A

Endemic to the dry pans of the coastal plain of Ecuador below 600 m altitude. Common in the province of Manabí. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Habitat

  • The natural habitat is semi-deciduous, dry Ceiba forest, but it is often found in pastures or sometimes planted near houses. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Discussion

  • Closely related to Aiphanes aculeata, but different in its more numerous, narrower pinnae, and clustered habit. (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)A
  • Aiphanes eggersii is closely related to A. acuieata from which it can be distinguished by its caespitose habit and its more numerous, narrower pinnae. Its leaf anatomy is very characteristic in that the non-vascualar fibers are arranged in a single layer of very thick bundles, a pattern otherwise found only in some specimens of A. lindeniana. The holotype of A. eggersii in B consists of a single staminate flower. The isotypes include only leaf fragments. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Conservation

  • Vulnerable (Borchsenius & Skov 1999). Criteria A1c, B1, B2c (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)A

Common Name

  • Corozo (Ecuador). Mesocarp and endosperm edible. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Description

  • Caespitose, with up to 10 stems, each 1-6 m tall, 7-8 cm diam., light grey, armed with black or grey, flat, to 10 cm long spines at the internodes. Leaves 7-10, erect and arching, older leaves recurving; sheath 40-75 cm long, with a thick, white tomentum, armed with black or grey, flat spines, to 10 cm long; petiole 0-10 cm long, similar to the sheath; rachis 115-205 cm long, with a white, caducous tomentum, armed with many black spines, to 5 cm long; pinnae (30-)50-65 per side, inserted in groups of (2-)4- 10(-14), in different planes, groups occupying 10-20 cm along the rachis, separated by 7-12 cm, pinnae narrowly trumpet-shaped, abruptly widening near apex, 3-7 times as long as wide, inrolled in vivo, irregularly praemorse at apex, glabrous or spinulose on both sides, adaxially often with a row of slender spines on the midrib, abaxially with 1 to several black spines basally on the midrib; basal pinnae 13-34 x 0.5-3 cm; middle pinnae 20-45 x 4-9 cm; apical pinnae 6-8 ribbed, 14-22 x 10-17 cm. Inflorescence erect or curving, pendulous in fruit, branched to 1 order; prophyll, peduncular bract, and peduncle with a thick white indument; prophyll 19-45 cm long, 3-6 cm wide; peduncular bract inserted 5-23 cm above prophyll, 80-145 cm long, 6-10 cm wide, woody, almost unarmed to densely armed; peduncle 42-137 cm long, 6-15 mm diam. at junction with rachis, densely armed with black spines, to 2 cm long; rachis 35-48 cm long, unarmed or basally armed like the peduncle; rachillae 35-75, unarmed, with a sparse, peltate indument; basal rachillae 20-35 cm long, with triads for ½ of their length, staminate distally; apical rachillae 5-10 cm long, staminate; each flower group subtended by a minute, inconspicuous bract. Staminate flowers yellow, superficial; sepals 1-2 mm long, never exceeding ?4 of the petals; petals 3-3.5 mm long; filaments 1-1.5 mm long, anthers 1.2-1.8 mm long, 0.8-1.1 mm wide; pistillode ca. 0.5 mm high, trifid. Pistillate flowers yellow with brown sepals, sunken into shallow pits in the rachillae; sepals ovate, 2.5- 3 mm long; petals connate for half their length, valvate distally, acute, ca. 4 mm long, opening to ca. 45° at anthesis; staminodial cup ca. 3 mm high, acuminately lobed to nearly truncate; pistil glabrous. Fruits bright red, globose, 18-20 mm diam.; endocarp 13-14 mm diam., shallowly pitted. (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Materials Examined

  • ECUADOR. EL ORO: Near Puyango, 600 m, 15 Aug 1978 (fem fl), Daly 101 (NY). MANABÌ: Upper Río Jama valley. rd. between San Isidro and San Jacinto, near estero Capa Perra, 300 m, 4 Nov 1982 (fr), Pearsall 1070 (AAU); 10 km N of Canoa on the Pacific coast, 3 km from the coast, 50 m, 26 Mar 1987 (fl, fem fl, fr), Balslev, Borchsenius et al. 62012 (AAU, NY, QCA); 2 km N of San Vicente town center on Pacific coast, ca. 1 km inland, 50 m, 25 Mar 1986 (imm fr), Balslev, Borchsenius et al. 62011 (AAU, NY, QCA) rd. Jipijapa-Guayaquil, km 46, 300 m, 4 Oct 1987 (fl, fem fl), Skov. Borchsenius. et al. 64735 (AAU, QCA); rd. Olmedo-Sta. Ana, km 3, 25O m, 5 Oct 1987 (fem fl), Skov & Borchsenius 64736 (AAU, QCA).
    (Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95)B

Bibliography

    A. 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
    B. Borchsenius, F. and Bernal, R. 1996. Aiphanes (Palmae). Flora Neotropica 70. pp 1-95
    C. World Checklist of Arecaceae