Authority:

Henderson, A. 2000. (Palmae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 79: 1-181. (Published by NYBG Press)

Family:

Arecaceae

Synonyms:

Bactris elegantissima Burret

Description:

Species Description - Stems cespitose, forming loose to dense clumps of to 8 stems, 1.5-3.5 m tall, 0.8-1.5 cm diam., spiny or not spiny on internodes. Leaves 6-13; leaf spines scattered, terete, black or dark brown, rarely yellowish, to 4 cm long, on sheath and proximal part of petiole, usually absent from rachis; sheath 9-30 cm long; ocrea to 4 cm long; petiole 11-40 cm long; rachis 47-75 cm long, densely covered with soft, fine, brown spinules to 1 mm long; pinnae 17-32 per side, regularly arranged except for gaps, spreading in the same plane, linear-lanceolate to almost sigmoid, asymmetrically and briefly bifid and pendulous apically, glossy green adaxially, with small spines on margins; middle pinnae 9-22 × 1-2.5 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 18-25 cm long, recurved, spiny; prophyll 10-15 cm long; peduncular bract 30-42 cm long, densely brown-tomentose with few to many black spines to 1.5 cm long; rachis absent; rachillae (l-)2, 8-15 cm long, at anthesis densely covered with reddish brown tomentum and brown, moniliform trichomes; triads irregularly arranged among paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 4-5.5 mm long, deciduous; sepal lobes 1-2 mm long; petals 4-5 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode small; pistillate flowers 3-4 mm long; calyx tubular, 2.5-3 mm long; corolla tubular, 3-3.5 mm long; staminodes absent; fruits 1.2-1.7 cm diam., globose, rostrate, purple-black; mesocarp juicy; endocarp depressed-oblong, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally; endocarp fibers free, numerous, with juice sacs attached; fruiting perianth with deeply 3-lobed calyx almost as long as the 3-lobed corolla, without staminodial ring.

Discussion:

Bactris elegans is diagnosed by its small, regularly arranged (but with gaps), asymmetrically and briefly bifid, glossy green pinnae, inflorescence with (l-)2 rachillae, and purple-black, globose fruits.

Distribution:

Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Guyana South America| Suriname South America| French Guiana South America| Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America| Pará Brazil South America| Rondônia Brazil South America| Bolivia South America| Pando Bolivia South America|

Common Names:

marajá, eérii, wili, firichí, akamin-ekoenari, moeroekoe