Aiphanes minima
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Aiphanes minima leaf canopy and spines on mature stem. Photograph courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Guide to Palms http://palmguide.org/index.php |
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Aiphanes minima spines and leaf scar rings |
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Aiphanes minima spines and leaf scars on stem (closer view) |
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Aiphanes minima section of leaf with rachis tomentum, spines, and marginal spinelets on leaflets |
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Aiphanes minima fibers and leaf sheath |
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Aiphanes minima abaxial rachis spines |
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Aiphanes minima adaxial rachis and leaflets with spines |
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Aiphanes minima abaxial leaflet spines |
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Aiphanes minima apical leaflet tips |
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Aiphanes minima mid-leaf leaflet tip |
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Aiphanes minima praemorse leaflet showing longer upper margin |
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Aiphanes minima abaxial surface of leaflet with midrib, secondary veins and spines. (Scale in mm) |
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Aiphanes minima leaf canopy and inflorescense. Photograph courtesy of Fairchild Tropical Botanical Garden, Guide to Palms http://palmguide.org/index.php |
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Aiphanes minima fruit. Photograph courtesy of Scott Zona. |
Common name
macaw palm, grigri, coyore
Description
Stems: Solitary, upright to 18 m tall and up to 20 cm in diameter, with rings of black spines. Leaves: Pinnatepinnate:
like a feather; palms with pinnate leaves usually have compound leaflets attached to a rachis, although a pinnate leaf may be entire with pinnate veins (e.g., <em>Chamaedorea metallica</em>)
, 1-2 m long, with regularly-arranged, lanceolatelanceolate:
term to describe leaves and leaflets that are longer than wide and widest below the mid-point; lance-shaped
, praemorse-tipped leaflets spreading in a single plane. Upper leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
surface, medium green; undersurface, much paler green. Flowers and fruits: Spiny inflorescences (up to 2 m long) are protected by a woody spathe and branched to one order with as many as 300 branches. Male and female flowers, creamy white to yellow in color, are borne with female flowers at the base of the inflorescenceinflorescence:
the reproductive structure of a flowering plant, including palms, consisting of flowers and associated bracts
branch and male flowers toward the tip. The spherical fruits (1.4-1.7 cm diameter) have a single seed and are bright red when ripe.
Diagnostic features
Field: Erect, solitary palms with dark spines and leafleaf:
in palms -- the leaf blade (which is usually divided into leaflets or leaf segments), the petiole (or leaf stalk) and the sheath (which forms the attachment of the leaf to the stem)
scar rings on the pale stem; leaves with leaflets held in one plane; and spines on almost every part of the palm. Inflorescences with roughly 300 branches.
Lab: Leaflets with raised midrib, obvious secondary veins and transverse veinlets
May be confused with
Aiphanes horrida has wedge-shaped praemorsepraemorse:
with a jagged edge or like a fish tail
leaflets with a ruffled appearance.
Acrocomia aculeata is also spiny, but has narrowly linearlinear:
term to describe leaves and leaflets that are narrow with nearly parallel margins; like a line
leaflets spreading in many planes.
Distribution
Native to Caribbean countries, usually in forest understory
Additional comments
Aiphanes minima is widely distributed in the Lesser Antilles. Geographical variation in the species has led to some taxonomic confusion; for example, species known as A. luciana from St. Lucia and A. vincentiana from St. Vincent, among others, are now included in this variable species.
Scientific name
Aiphanes minima (Gaertn.) Burret
Family
Arecaceae/Palmae
Synonyms
Aiphanes acanthophylla (Mart.) Burret
Aiphanes erosa (Linden) Burret
Bactris acanthophylla Mart.
Bactris minima Gaertner
Curima calophylla O.F. Cook
