Eremospatha macrocarpa (G. Mann & H. Wendl.) H. Wendl., Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  Evaluate, score: 2 (Go to the risk assessment)

Common name(s): [more details]

English: large-fruit rattan palm, rattan palm

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Stem 30-50 ft. long, scarcely 1 in. thick. Leaves about 9 ft. long; sheath tubular, about 1 ft. long, produced at the apex into an obliquely truncate ochrea 1 in. long, clothed with brownish evanescent scurf; rhachis 4-5 lin. thick at the base, bearing uncinate spines, produced into a cirrhus bearing 7-11 pairs of decurved subulate-triquetrous spines, but otherwise unarmed; leaflets about 23 on each side, the upper rather wider apart than the lower, long lanceolate, acute, slightly dentate, papery, rigid, glabrous, shining, with brown spiny cilia 1-2 lin. long on the margins, the upper 14 in. by 12-13 lin., the lower gradually decreasing in size, midrib rather prominent, secondary nerves 6 on each side. Spadix 1 1/2-2 ft. long, glabrous, simply and alternately distichously branched; peduncle 6-8 in. long, nearly 6 lin. thick, concave on the face, convex on the back; branches 4-5 in. long, 1 lin. thick at the base; bracts semi-amplexicaul, ovate, acuminate, 3 lin. long, marcescent. Flowers as in E. cuspidata [flowers in pairs, sessile. Calyx campanulate, 3-toothed, 2 lin. long, rigid, obscurely striate. Corolla 5 lin. long, much inflated, thick, 3-toothed. Stamens 6; filaments connate for the greater part of their length into a tube and adnate to the corolla ; anthers erect, cordate, inserted at the base on the dorsal side, introrse. Ovary ovoid -globose, 3 -celled ; style short; stigmas 3, Ungulate, ciliate]. Fruit 1 1/4 in. long, compressed cylindrical, very shortly attenuate at the base, 1- (rarely 2-) seeded, with 24 rows of rhomboid rather flat scales, 2 lin. wide. Seed compressed, 9-12 lin. long, 9 lin. wide, 4-5 lin. thick, brown; chalaza incrassate and forming a mammilla on the dorsal side; embryo ventral, a little above the hilum."  (Oliver, 1901; vol. 8, p. 113).

Description on Palmweb.

Habitat/ecology:  "This species is extremely light demanding, occurring naturally in gap vegetation and forest margins. As a result of this, in common with other members of the genus, E. macrocarpa responds extremely well to selective logging activities and is a common component of regrowth vegetation"  (T.C.H. Sunderland, 2012, in Palmweb).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Western tropical Africa (GRIN).

Additional information:
Information from Palmweb.

Additional online information about Eremospatha macrocarpa is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

Information about Eremospatha macrocarpa as a weed (worldwide references) may be available from the Global Compendium of Weeds (GCW).

Taxonomic information about Eremospatha macrocarpa may be available from the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN).

References:

Oliver, Daniel. 1901. Flora of tropical Africa. Vol. 8, 1-3. Pontederiaceae to Cyperaceae. 561 pp.

Palmweb. 2012. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online.

U. S. Government. 2011. Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) (on-line resource).

U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. 2011. National Genetic Resources Program. Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN). Online searchable database.