Phytelephas tumacana O.F.Cook, J. Wash. Acad. Sci. 17: 224 (1927)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Colombia present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Known from a small area on the coastal plain in SW Colombia (Deparment of Nari�o) and NW Ecuador (Province of Esmeraldas).
Distribution in Ecuador. The first record from Ecuador was made in 2004. (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

Discussion

  • Distuinguished from P. aequatorialis by its regularly inserted pinnae, sessile (or subsessile) male flowers with tortuous stamens and female flowers with long, strongly tortuous stigmas (11-15 cm versus 7-9 cm in P. aequatorialis) (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

Description

  • Stem solitary, to 5 m tall or more and ca. 20 cm in diameter. Leaves 10-15, semi-erect to erect 4-6 m long; pinnae 80-110 on each side, regularly arranged and spreading in one planes, the central ones 60-100 cm long and 4-6 cm wide. Male inflorescence 1-2.5 m long, cream to yellow, with numerous densely crowded flower clusters, warm to the touch at anthesis. Male flowers sessile or subsessile, each with 150-250 tortuous stamens, 25-35 mm long. Female inflorescence with 5-10 flowers, each with 5-8 tepals, 20-25 cm long, and a 10-12 cm long style with 5-6 tortuous stigmas, 12-15 cm long. Fruiting heads 20-25 cm in diameter, with 5-8 closely inserted fruits. Seeds 5-6 per fruit. (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

Use Record

  • Phytelephas tumacana O.F.Cook: El principal es por la semilla, exportada como "marfil vegetal". En Tumaco se hizo un ensayo de aprovechar la grasa que contiene la pulpa dentro de la cual se encuentran las semillas. (Patiño,V.M. 1977: Palmas oleaginosas de la costa colombiana del Pacífico)
    Use CategoryUse Sub CategoryPlant PartHuman GroupEthnic GroupCountry
    OtherN/ASeedsNot identifiedN/AColombia
  • Phytelephas tumacana O.F.Cook: The chief source of the "vegetable ivory" of commerce are the Colombian tagua palms. (...). (...), are used in the manufacture of buttons, inlays, and various small ornamental articles. (Dugand, A. 1961: Palms of Colombia)
    Use CategoryUse Sub CategoryPlant PartHuman GroupEthnic GroupCountry
    EnvironmentalOrnamentalSeedsNot identifiedN/AColombia
    Utensils and ToolsOtherSeedsIndigenousNot specifiedColombia
    CulturalCloth and accessoriesSeedsIndigenousNot specifiedColombia

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. World Checklist of Arecaceae