Bactris bifida Mart.

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Arecaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bactris bifida Mart.

  • Type

    Type. Brazil. Amazonas: Rio Negro, s.d., C. Martius s.n. (holotype, M; F neg. 18604).

  • Synonyms

    Bactris bifida var. humaitensis Trail, Bactris bifida var. puruensis Trail, Bactris angustifolia Dammer, Pyrenoglyphis bifida (Mart.) Burret

  • Description

    Species Description - Stems cespitose, forming small or large clumps, often leaning, 1-4 m tall, 1-2 cm diam., the internodes usually not spiny. Leaves 4-10; leaf spines solitary and scattered, brown or black, to 8 cm long, on lateral surfaces of sheath, petiole, and rachis; sheath 12-28 cm long, very fibrous on margins; ocrea to 10 cm long, becoming fibrous; petiole (0-)12-22(-100) cm long; rachis 40-70 cm long; blade simple or rarely pinnate proximally, long cuneate basally, deeply bifid apically, strongly plicate, with a metallic sheen on drying; blade 40-100 cm long, 12-20 cm wide at apex of rachis. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 15-25 cm long, straight or slightly recurved, not spiny; prophyll 8-13 cm long; peduncular bract 16-25 cm long, sparsely covered with black spines to 5 mm long; rachillae 1-2, 4-6.5 cm long, at anthesis glabrous or with a few flexuous trichomes; triads regularly arranged, these interspersed with paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 3-6 mm long, deciduous; sepal lobes 1-1.5 mm long; petals 3-5.5 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode absent; pistillate flowers 3-4 mm long; calyx tubular, 3-4 mm long; corolla tubular, 2.5-3.5 mm long; staminodial ring obscure, 0.5 mm long; fruits 2-2.5 × 1-1.5 cm, narrowly ellipsoid, ovoid, or ellipsoid-oblong, purple-black, sometimes minutely spinulose; 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, crenate corolla, staminodial ring present.

  • Discussion

    Bactris bifida is diagnosed by its long, narrow, simple, strongly plicate leaves, deeply bifid apically and cuneate basally, staminodial ring, and ellipsoid, purple-black fruits. Synonymy was established by Henderson (1995), although he (and Henderson et al., 1995) included B. angustifolia as a synonym of B. tomentosa var. sphaerocarpa, it properly belongs here.

    There is considerable variation in the size of the leaves; specimens from the Andean foothills of Peru have much larger leaves than usual.

  • Common Names

    ubim de espinho, ñeja negra

  • Objects

    Pending, A. J. Henderson 1103, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Acre, Tarauacá Mun.

    Pending, A. J. Henderson 1665, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Acre

    Specimen - 01137698, A. J. Henderson 172, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Careiro Mun.

    Specimen - 01137699, A. J. Henderson 249, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Humaitá Mun.

    Specimen - 01137703, A. J. Henderson 867, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Atalaia do Norte Mun.

    Specimen - 01137701, A. J. Henderson 1546, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Tefé Mun.

    Specimen - 01137702, A. J. Henderson 1548, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Tefé Mun.

    Specimen - 01137700, T. C. Plowman 12418, Bactris bifida Mart., Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta; South America, Brazil, Amazonas, Tefé Mun.

  • Distribution

    Mostly south of the Amazon river in Colombia (Amazonas), Peru (Huánuco, Loreto, San Martín, Ucayali), and western Brazil (Acre, Amazonas) (Fig. 13A); lowland rain forest either on terra firme or more commonly in areas liable to seasonal inundation or other wet places, at 106-600 m elevation.

    Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Peru South America| Huánuco Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| San Martín Peru South America| Ucayali Peru South America| Brazil South America| Acre Brazil South America| Amazonas Brazil South America|