Prestoea decurrens (H.Wendl. ex Burret) Moore

  • Authority

    Henderson, A. & Galeano, Gloria A. 1996. , , and (Palmae). Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 72: 1-90. (Published by NYBG Press)

  • Family

    Arecaceae

  • Scientific Name

    Prestoea decurrens (H.Wendl. ex Burret) H.E.Moore

  • Type

    Type. Costa Rica. Alajuela: San Carlos, 24 Mar 1901, Koschny s.n. (holotype, B, destroyed). Neotype (Henderson & de Nevers, 1988). Costa Rica. Heredia: Finca La Selva on Río Puerto Viejo just E of its jct. with Río Sarapiquí, 12 Dec 1984, Henderson 50 (neotype, NY).

  • Description

    Species Description - Stems cespitose with 2-7 stems per plant or rarely solitary, erect or occasionally leaning or procumbent, 1.4-7(-10) m tall, 3-12 cm diam., green or yellowish with conspicuous nodes. Leaves 4-10, spreading; sheath semi-open and forming a partial crownshaft, this almost always obscured by persistent, dead leaf bases, 0.3-1 m long including a fibrous ligule to 10 cm long, green, green-violet, or brown-violet, fibrous on margins; petiole (18-)30-95(-155) cm long, densely covered, especially abaxially, with apressed, whitish brown, peltate-lacerate scales; rachis 1.2-3.1 m long, with tomentum like that of petiole; pinnae 35-58 per side, regularly arranged and horizontally spreading in the same plane, subopposite or alternate, linear-lanceolate, abruptly acuminate or almost acute apically, plicate, with prominent midvein and several lateral veins, without conspicuous ramenta on the midvein abaxially, with punctations abaxially; basal pinna 28-60 x 0.8-2 cm; middle pinnae 43-73(-81) x 2-5.5 cm; apical pinna 8-25(-40) x 0.5-2 cm. Inflorescences infrafoliar, erect in bud; peduncle 8-30(-75) cm long, 0.8-2 cm diam., terete, densely covered with whitish, stellate, short, stiff, persistent hairs; prophyll 18-45 cm long, 3-4 cm diam.; peduncular bract 0.5-1.4 m long including a 3 cm long umbo, densely covered abaxially with appressed brown scales, persistent; rachis (6.5-)13-60 cm long, with hairs similar to those of peduncle; rachillae (7-)30-70, (30-)35-54(-75) cm long proximally, to 24 (-60) cm long distally, 1-2 mm diam. at anthesis, 1.5-2(-5) mm diam. in fruit, subtended by bracteoles, these occasionally prominent, densely to moderately covered with simple to stellate, 0.1-0.2 mm long, stiff, persistent, white hairs; flowers in triads proximally, paired or solitary staminate distally, the triads sometimes densely crowded on the rachillae, superficial or somewhat sunken; triad bracteole low, apiculate; first flower bracteole obscure, second and third flower bracteoles ± equal, deltate or rounded and apiculate, 0.3-0.5 mm long; staminate flowers 3-4 mm long; sepals deltate, 1-1.5 mm long, imbricate proximally, keeled; petals ovate to elliptic, 2.5-4 mm long, pilose abaxially especially distally; stamens arranged on a very short receptacle; filaments 1.5-2 mm long, lanceolate, flattened, adnate proximally to petals; anthers 1-1.5 mm long; pistillode 1.5-2.5 mm long, trifid at the apex; pistillate flowers 2.5-3.5 mm long; sepals very widely ovate, 1.5-2 mm long, ciliate; petals widely ovate, 2-3 mm long, ciliate; staminodes digitate; fruits globose, 0.7-1.1 cm diam., loosely spaced or rarely crowded on the rachillae, the stigmatic remains subapical to lateral; epicarp purple-black, scarcely minutely tuberculate; seeds globose, 5-8 mm diam.; endosperm lightly to deeply ruminate; eophyll pinnate with long rachis.

  • Discussion

    Two inflorescence types occur in Prestoea decurrens, just as in P. ensiformis. Most inflorescences are straight, erect, and elongate. In scattered areas, notably coastal Ecuador, the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, and the Río Guanche area in Panama, inflorescences are curved, almost horizontal, and shortened. The latter have thicker, shorter rachillae and very closely spaced triads borne in slight depressions.

    Local names and use. Colombia: chapil, chichiburrú, chapilde, palmilla; Costa Rica: canna lucia, coyolilla. In Chocó, Colombia, the palm heart is occasionally eaten

  • Common Names

    chapil, chichiburrú, chapilde, palmilla, canna lucia, coyolilla

  • Distribution

    Nicaragua (Matagalpa, Río San Juan, Zelaya), Costa Rica (Alajuela, Cartago, Heredia, Limón, Puntarenas, San José), Panama (Chiriquí, Colón, Panamá, San Blas), western Colombia (Antioquia, Cauca, Chocó, Nariño, Risaralda, Valle), and western Ecuador (Carchi, Cotopaxi, Esmeraldas, Pichincha) (Fig. 26); rain forest at low elevations (0-800 m) but occasionally reaching 1500 m. Throughout its range it is a common palm, especially along streams and rivers.

    Antioquia Colombia South America| Chocó Colombia South America| Nariño Colombia South America| Risaralda Colombia South America| Alajuela Costa Rica Central America| Cartago Costa Rica Central America| Heredia Costa Rica Central America| Limón Costa Rica Central America| Puntarenas Costa Rica Central America| San José Costa Rica Central America| Carchi Ecuador South America| Cotopaxi Ecuador South America| Esmeraldas Ecuador South America| Pichincha Ecuador South America| Matagalpa Nicaragua Central America| Río San Juan Nicaragua Central America| Zelaya Nicaragua Central America| Chiriquí Panamá Central America| Coclé Panamá Central America| Colón Panamá Central America| Panamá Panama Central America| San Blás Panamá Central America|