Geonoma interrupta (Ruiz & Pavón) Martius, Arecaceae

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Present on Pacific Islands?  no

Primarily a threat at high elevations?  no

Risk assessment results:  High risk, score: 6 (Go to the risk assessment)

Other Latin names:  Geonoma binervia Oerst.; Geonoma euspatha Burret; Geonoma martinicensis Mart.; Geonoma oxycarpa Mart.

Common name(s): [more details]

Spanish: manaca, pacuca

Habit:  tree

Description:  "Plants 3-6 meters high, the trunk 5-7 cm. thick, conspicuously annulate; leaves ascending, unequally pinnatisect, the petiole 30-60 cm. long; the blades as much as 2 meters long; leaf segments about 25 pairs, variable in width, glabrous or sometimes sparsely scurfy on the nerves, 50-60 cm. long, the narrowest ones about 1 cm. wide, the larger ones 7-8 cm. wide or the terminal ones 12 cm. wide or more, narrowly long-attenuate at the apex, obliquely attached and not narrowed below; spadix much branched, the long peduncle subtended at the base by 2 conspicuous erect valves 15-20 cm. long; inflorescences 60-75 cm. long, pendent, diffusely branched, sometimes erect, the ultimate branchlets somewhat pubescent, dark red or maroon, 20-30 cm. long, 2-3 mm. thick, the flowers minute, purplish; staminate flowers about 4 mm. long, usually somewhat exserted at anthesis; pistillate flowers smaller, the 3 stigmas exserted; fruit globose-oblong or globose, 4-6 mm. long, glabrous, brownish black at maturity, or sometimes black and lustrous"  (Standley & Steyermark, 1958; p. 266).

"Small, monoecious tree, to 6 m tall; trunk to 6.5 cm in diameter; leaf scars prominent, to 8 cm apart. Leaves glabrous, irregularly pinnate, ca 2.5 m long; petioles 40-65 cm long, vaginate at base, flattened above with sharp edges; blades often more than 2 m long; leaflets in 20-30 pairs, abruptly long-acuminate, held in a single plane, 45-60 cm long, 1-9 cm wide (except terminal), spaced 1-10 cm apart, with 1-7 ribs prominent on upper and lower surfaces; rachis flat below, becoming triangulate by middle of blade; juvenile leaves entire. Spadix somewhat maroon, compound, branched many times, 60-75 cm long, often about as broad as long, lightly pubescent; flower pits spirally arranged in 5 series ca 3-6 mm apart; staminate flowers whitish, exserted, ca 4 mm long; pistillate flowers shorter, embedded. Fruits globular-ellipsoid, 4-6 mm long; pericarp slightly fleshy, becoming reddish and finally purple to black at maturity; seed 1"  (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute).

Habitat/ecology:  In Guatemala (native), "moist or wet, dense, mixed lowland forest, at or little above (about 150 meters) sea level" (Standley & Steyermark, 1958; p. 266).  In Panama (native), "occasional and usually widely dispersed in the forest"  (Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute).

Propagation:  Seed

Native range:  Mexico, Central America and northern South America (GRIN).

Presence:

Pacific Rim
Country/Terr./St. & Island group	Location	Cited status & Cited as invasive & Cited as cultivated & Cited as aboriginal introduction?	Reference & Comments
Colombia Colombia	Colombia (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Costa Rica Costa Rica	Costa Rica (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (pp. 266-267)
Ecuador (Mainland) Ecuador	Ecuador (Republic of) (continental)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)
Guatemala Guatemala	Guatemala (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (pp. 266-267)
Honduras Honduras	Honduras (Republic of)	native	Palmweb (2012)
Mexico Mexico	Mexico (United Mexican States)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (pp. 266-267)
Nicaragua Nicaragua	Nicaragua (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (pp. 266-267)
Panama Panama	Panama (Republic of)	native	Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. (1958) (pp. 266-267)
Perú Perú	Perú (Republic of)	native	U.S. Dept. Agr., Agr. Res. Serv. (2011)

Additional information:
Additional online information about Geonoma interrupta is available from the Hawaiian Ecosystems at Risk project (HEAR).

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

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

References:

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

Standley, Paul C./Steyermark, Julian A. 1958. Flora of Guatemala. Fieldiana: Botany. Vol. 24, Part I. Chicago Natural History Museum. 478 pp.

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