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Aiphanes

Aiphanes
A small palm stands in front of a square-mesh wire fence. The leaves are arranged somewhat loosely along the stem, not tightly clustered as they are in many other palms. Only the lower portion of the stem is free of leaves and that area is grey-brown with green tissue showing through in several places, most notably at the old leaf scars which encircle the stem at regular intervals. The stem and leaves are covered with long spines. The leaflets are wedge-shaped – narrow at the base, much broader towards the ends, but then narrowing again towards their tips.
Aiphanes horrida at Jena botanical garden
Scientific classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Tribe: Cocoseae
Subtribe: Bactridinae
Genus: Aiphanes
Willd.
Type species
Aiphanes horrida
(Jacq.) Burret
Diversity
About 26 species
Aiphanes occurs in northwestern South America, south into Bolivia and east to northeastern Venezuela, in Panama and in Trinidad, Puerto Rico and eastern Hispaniola.
Native distribution of Aiphanes
Synonyms

Martinezia (sensu Kunth, not Ruiz y Pavón)
Marara H.Karst.
Curima O.F.Cook
Tilmia O.F.Cook

Martinezia (sensu Kunth, not Ruiz y Pavón)
Marara H.Karst.
Curima O.F.Cook
Tilmia O.F.Cook

Aiphanes is a genus of spiny palms which is native to tropical regions of South and Central America and the Caribbean. There are about 26 species in the genus (see below), ranging in size from understorey shrubs with subterranean stems to subcanopy trees as tall as 20 metres (66 ft). Most have pinnately compound leaves (leaves which are divided into leaflets arranged feather-like, in pairs along a central axis); one species has entire leaves. Stems, leaves and sometimes even the fruit are covered with spines. Plants flower repeatedly over the course of their lifespan and have separate male and female flowers, although these are borne together on the same inflorescence. Although records of pollinators are limited, most species appear to be pollinated by insects. The fruit are eaten by several birds and mammals, including at least two species of amazon parrots.

Carl Ludwig Willdenow coined the name Aiphanes in 1801. Before that, species belonging to the genus had been placed in Bactris or Caryota. The name Martinezia had also been applied to the genus, and between 1847 and 1932 it was generally used in place of Aiphanes. Max Burret resurrected the name Aiphanes in 1932, and laid the basis for the modern concept of the genus. Aiphanes is most closely related to several other genera of spiny palms—Acrocomia, Astrocaryum, Bactris and Desmoncus. Two species are widely planted as ornamentals and the fruit, seeds or palm heart of several species have been eaten by indigenous peoples of the Americas for millennia.


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Wikipedia

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