Dictyocaryum ptariense (Steyerm.) Moore & Steyerm.
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Authority
Henderson, A. 1990. Arecaceae. Part I. Introduction and the Iriarteinae. Fl. Neotrop. Monogr. 53: 1-100. (Published by NYBG Press)
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Family
Arecaceae
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Scientific Name
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Type
Type. Venezuela. Bolivar: Ptari-tepuí, SE facing slopes, 1585 m, 10-11 Nov 1944 (fl, fr), Steyermark 60044 (holotype, F; isotype, BH).
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Synonyms
Dahlgrenia ptariana Steyerm.
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Description
Species Description - Stem solitary or occasionally cespitóse, cylindrical, 10-15(-20) m tall, 14-20 cm in diam., smooth; stilt roots to 1.2 m long, to 4 cm diam., brown, with blunt spines. Leaves 4-5, spreading; sheaths forming a compact crownshaft, 60-70 (-125) cm long, outer surface densely covered with simple, hyaline trichomes, glabrescent; petiole 25-30 cm long, 2-4.5 cm in diam., shallowly grooved adaxially, rounded abaxially, whitish-brown-tomentose; rachis 1.7-3 m long, ridged adaxially, rounded abaxially; pinnae 23-37 per side, subopposite, cuneate with entire margins and blunt praemorse apices, green and glabrous adaxially, gray-white-waxy abaxially with regularly scattered minute brown scales and with lines 3-5 mm wide of dense brown tomentum running parallel to the veins, split to the base into 2-8 stiff segments inserted at different angles and radiating in different planes; veins prominent abaxially, yellow, 1-several per pinna, sparsely covered with trichomes, especially near point of insertion; proximal pinna split into 1-3 segments, proximal segment to 70 cm long and 3 cm wide at mid-point; middle pinna split into 4-8 segments, proximal segment to 86 cm long and 3 cm wide at mid-point, distal segment 86-98 cm long and 8 cm wide; apical pinna entire, flabellate, 28 cm long, 9 cm wide at mid-point. Inflorescence pendulous and horn-shaped in bud, pendulous at anthesis and to 1.4 m long; peduncle terete, curved, 25-35 cm long, ca. 2 cm diam., at first densely brown-tomentose, glabrescent, at anthesis with prophyll and 8-10 peduncular bract scars; prophyll inserted at base of peduncle, caducous, ancipitous, 9-12 cm long, splitting apically; peduncular bracts 8-10, inserted 2-4 cm apart, the proximal 3 ca. 13-22 cm long, coriaceous, the distal remainder up to 90 cm long, woody, the most distal 2-3 incomplete; prophyll and peduncular bracts with moderate to dense covering on outside of hyaline or brown trichomes; rachis 20-30 cm long; rachillae 50-80, spirally inserted, cream-colored at anthesis, glabrous or with a moderate covering of branched short trichomes, with a proximal flattened sterile section to 5 cm long, proximal ones to 50 cm long and branched into 2-7 rachillae, distal ones to 40 cm long and unbranched, 2 mm in diam. at mid-point at anthesis (thickening to 3-4 mm in fruit), each subtended by a strongly cucullate bract to 3 cm long proximally to virtually absent distally; triads spirally arranged, to 3 mm apart, surrounded by a vestigial bract; flowers proximally in triads, distally staminate in pairs or solitary, cream-colored; staminate flowers 3.5-4 mm long; sepals ovate-deltoid, strongly gibbous, 1 x 1.5 mm, very shortly connate proximally, imbricate distally; petals ovate, 3 x 1.5 mm, free, val vate; stamens six; filaments 0.5 mm high, triangular; anthers 3 mm high, sub-basifixed, thecae briefly free proximally; pistillode very short, 3-lobed; pollen with clavate-rugulate exine; pistillate flowers 2 mm long; sepals ovate-deltoid, gibbous, 1 x 2 mm, shortly connate proximally, imbricate distally, ciliate; petals widely ovate, 2 x 2 mm, imbricate proximally, valvate distally; staminodes six, dentiform, 0.5 mm high; stigmas sessile, triangular, 1 mm long, erect at anthesis; ovary 3-locular with one ovule developing, 1 mm high, glabrous; fruit more or less globose, 3-3.5 x 2-3 cm, stigmatic scar basal; epicarp smooth, yellowish-brown at maturity and splitting irregularly; mesocarp 3-4 mm thick, white; endocarp papery; seed globose, raphe branches reticulate, spreading; hilum rounded; embryo basal; eophyll bifid.
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Discussion
The leaves are used for thatching, and the stems split and used to make walls and floors.
The recent collections from lowland Colombia and Peru greatly extend the range of this species, and raise many questions about its former range. These lowland localities may represent relicts of a much wider range for the species.Dictyocaryum ptariense is most similar to D. fuscum, differing only in its smaller staminate flowers. -
Common Names
bombona paso, pona colorada
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Distribution
Tepuis of Venezuela (Edo. Bolívar and T. F. Amazonas) and adjacent Guyana, in montane forest on slopes between 800 and 1700 m. Also recently collected from two localities in lowland Amazon regions of Peru and Colombia (Fig. 20)1.
Colombia South America| Amazonas Colombia South America| Peru South America| Loreto Peru South America| Venezuela South America| Amazonas Venezuela South America| Bolívar Venezuela South America| Guyana South America| Essequibo Guyana South America|