Bactris oligoclada Burret

  • Authority

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

  • Family

    Arecaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Bactris oligoclada Burret

  • Type

    Type. Guyana. Conawaruk River, Sep 1905, A. Bartlett 8194 (holotype, B, destroyed). Guyana. Mazaruni-Potaro Distr., Bartic-Potaro rd., 24 mi S of Bartica, 50-125 m, 15 Aug 1976, S. Mori et al 8101 (neotype, here designated, NY).

  • Description

    Species Description - Stems cespitose, 1-3 m tall, 1-1.5 cm diam., or occasionally short and subterranean, spiny or not spiny on internodes. Leaves 3-12; leaf spines widely scattered, black, somewhat flattened, to 7 cm long, on lateral surfaces of sheath and petiole; sheath 15-22 cm long, partially closed; ocrea to 3 cm long; petiole 25-55 cm long; rachis 35-45 cm long; pinnae 6-10 per side, irregularly arranged in distant clusters, spreading in different planes, lanceolate to almost sigmoid, asymmetrically acuminate, dark green adaxially, lighter green (drying brown) abaxially, main vein prominent adaxially; middle pinnae 20-32 × 3-6 cm. Inflorescences interfoliar; peduncle 7-11 cm long, recurved, not spiny; prophyll 3.5-9 cm long; peduncular bract 12-18 cm long, densely covered with short, black spines; rachis 1-2 cm long; rachillae 6-8, 5-8 cm long, at anthesis densely covered with brown, flexuous trichomes; triads irregularly arranged among paired or solitary staminate flowers; staminate flowers 4-4.5 mm long; sepal lobes 1.5 mm long; petals 4-4.5 mm long; stamens 6; pistillode absent; pistillate flowers 3 mm long; calyx annular, 0.5 mm long; corolla tubular, 3 mm long; staminodes absent; fruits 1-1.5 cm diam., depressed-globose, yellow or orange-red at maturity, but green then whitish and yellowish during ripening; mesocarp starchy; endocarp pitted, the sterile pores displaced longitudinally; endocarp fibers few or lacking; fruiting perianth with small calyx and small 3-lobed corolla, without staminodial ring.

  • Discussion

    Bactris oligoclada is diagnosed by its widely scattered, black, somewhat flattened, to 7 cm long leaf spines, and 6-10, lanceolate to almost sigmoid, asymmetrically acuminate pinnae per side, dark green adaxially and lighter green (drying brown) abaxially.

  • Common Names

    kidallibanaro, sourie, yurua

  • Objects

    Specimen - 381142, S. A. Mori 8101, Bactris oligoclada Burret, Arecaceae (36.0), Magnoliophyta, neotype; South America, Guyana

  • Distribution

    Northeastern Amazon region in Venezuela (Bolívar) and Guyana (Fig. 53A); lowland rain forest on sandy soils (wallaba forest) on terra firme at 0-780 m elevation.

    Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America|