Bactris simplicifrons Mart.
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Authority
Mori, S. A., et al. 1997. Guide to the vascular plants of central French Guiana: Part 1. Pteridophytes, gymnosperms, and monocotyledons. Mem. New York Bot. Gard. 76: 1-422.
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Family
Arecaceae
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Scientific Name
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Description
Species Description - Very small, single- or multi-stemmed plants of understory, 0.5-2 m X 3-8 mm, with 1-5, very slender, unarmed stems, the internodes 2-12 cm long. Leaves 3-8, ± spirally arranged on upper part of stem; sheath 10-15 cm long, tubular, whitish tomentose-arachnoid at base, unarmed or very rarely armed with black prickles 3-8 mm long; petiole slender, green, 20- 45 cm long; rachis 2-30 cm long; blade either simple and deeply bifid (V-shaped) or pinnate with 2-10 pinnae per side; pinnae membranous, elliptic to oblanceolate, clearly sigmoid, acuminate, at irregular intervals on rachis but all in single plane, 10-30 X 1-5 cm, the apical segments much wider (5- 9 cm, but to 12 cm in bifid leaves). Inflorescences 1-4, infrafoliar, recurved, simple or bifid; peduncle 2-4 cm long, curved, whitish-floccose when young; prophyll membranous, 2-4 cm long; peduncular bract 5-10 cm long, fusiform, glabrous and unarmed; rachillae 1 or 2, slender, 1.5-5 cm long, pointing downward. Fruits few, globose, glabrous, 6-8 mm diam., yellowish green, becoming orange and red at maturity.
Distribution and Ecology - Fl (Jul-Dec), fr (Jan-May); common on all kinds of welldrained soils. In the vicinity of Saul, the form with pinnate leaves is much more common than the form with bifid leaves.