Bactris oligocarpa Barb.Rodr., Enum. Palm. Nov. : 28 (1875)

Primary tabs

no image available

Content

Distribution

Central and eastern Amazon region in French Guiana, Suriname, and Brazil (Amapá, Amazonas, Pará), lowland rain forest on terrafirme, at 50-700 m elevation.

Discussion

  • Bactris oligocarpa is diagnosed by its 1, 2-3 cm long rachilla; 5-6 mm long staminate flowers; pistillate flowers (and fruits) with staminodial ring; and ovoid, purple-black fruits.

Description

  • Stems solitary or occasionally cespitose, 0.2-1.5 m tall, 0.8-1 cm diam., occasionally short and subterranean. Leaves 4-15; leaf spines scattered, black, terete, to 3 cm long, few on sheath and lateral surfaces of petiole, absent from rachis, or occasionally spines absent; sheath 5-15 cm long; ocrea to 8 cm long; petiole 22-50 cm long; rachis 8-30 cm long; blade usually simple or with 2-4 pinnae per side, then the apical pinna much wider than the others, sigmoid; middle pinnae 20-33 x 3-8 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar, occasionally all staminate; peduncle 6-13 cm long, straight, not spiny; prophyll 5-7 cm long; peduncular bract 10-16 cm long, sparsely covered with spines or spines absent; rachis absent; rachilla 1, 2-3 cm long, glabrous at anthesis; triads regularly arranged; staminate flowers 5-6 mm long, persistent; sepal lobes 2 mm long; petals 5-6 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode absent; pistillate flowers 3-4 mm long; calyx tubular, to 3 mm long; corolla tubular, to 3 mm long; staminodial ring adnate to the corolla, to 2 mm long; fruits 1.7-2 x 1-1.5 cm, widely ovoid, purple-black; mesocarp juicy; endocarp ellipsoid, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally, the fertile pore displaced latitudinally; endocarp fibers free, numerous, with juice sacs attached; fruiting perianth with short calyx and much longer, irregularly-lobed corolla, with staminodial ring.