Acanthophoenix rubra

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Acanthophoenix rubra
Acanthophoenix rubra habit.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Acanthophoenix
Species:
A. rubra
Binomial name
Acanthophoenix rubra

Acanthophoenix rubra, the barbel palm, is a critically endangered palm endemic to Mauritius, Rodrigues, and La Reunion that is prized for its edible palm hearts.

Contents

Naming and description

Details of flowers Acanthophoenix rubra flowers 01.jpg
Details of flowers

It is also known as the red- or yellow- Barbel palm, red palm, Mascarene Islands cabbage palm, and palmiste rouge, palmiste bourre, palmiste des bois, palmiste des hauts, palmiste épineux, palmiste zépines, palmiste piquant in French. [2]

This palm was first described as Areca rubra by French naturalist Jean Baptiste Bory de Saint-Vincent in 1804 and classified by German botanist Hermann Wendland in its own genus Acanthophoenix in 1867. It can reach a height of 25 m. The trunk is slender, with a diameter of 18 cm. The crown contents of about 10 leaves approximately 3 m in size which are arranged convoluted.

In his 1995 checklist of seed plants, Rafaël Govaerts considered A. crinita to be a synonym of Acanthophoenix rubra, as did Govaerts and John Dransfield in their 2005 checklist of palms. However, in his revision of the genus, N. Ludwig recognised A. crinita as a separate species. [3]

Threats

The Barbel palm is endangered due to habitat destruction to make way for sugarcane plantations, and its high value as edible and medicinal plant. The palm heart is a delicacy. About 150 individuals occur in the wild on Mauritius. It is widely grown in cultivation.

Synonyms

Related Research Articles

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Attalea maripa, commonly called maripa palm is a palm native to tropical South America and Trinidad and Tobago. It grows up 35 m (115 ft) tall and can have leaves or fronds 10–12 m (33–39 ft) long. This plant has a yellow edible fruit which is oblong ovoid and cream. An edible oil can be extracted from the pulp of the fruit and from the kernel of the seed.

<i>Aiphanes</i> Genus of spiny palms native to tropical South and Central America and the Caribbean

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, ranging in size from understorey shrubs with subterranean stems to subcanopy trees as tall as 20 metres (66 ft). Most have pinnately compound leaves ; 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.

<i>Calla</i> Monotypic genus of flowering plant in the arum family Araceae

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<i>Acanthophoenix</i> Genus of palms

Acanthophoenix is a genus of flowering plants in the palm family from the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean, where they are commonly called palmiste rouge. A genus long in flux, three species are currently recognized, though unsustainable levels of harvesting for their edible palm hearts have brought them all to near extinction in habitat. They are closely related to the Tectiphiala and Deckenia genera, differing in the shape of the staminate flower. The name combines the Greek words for "thorn" and "date palm".

<i>Ravenea</i> Genus of palms

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<i>Acanthophoenix crinita</i> Species of palm

Acanthophoenix crinita is a species of palm which is endemic to Réunion.

<i>Carpoxylon</i> Genus of palms

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<i>Hyophorbe</i> Genus of palms

Hyophorbe is a genus of five known species of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae, native to the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. All five species can attain heights of over 6 meters, and two of the species develop swollen trunks that have made them popular as ornamentals, but all of them are endangered in the wild.

<i>Hyophorbe lagenicaulis</i> Species of palm

Hyophorbe lagenicaulis, the bottle palm or palmiste gargoulette, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is native to Round Island, Mauritius.

<i>Hyophorbe verschaffeltii</i> Species of palm

Hyophorbe verschaffeltii, the palmiste marron or spindle palm, is a critically endangered species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to Rodrigues island, Mauritius, but is widely grown in cultivation.

<i>Latania</i> Genus of palms

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<i>Nephrosperma</i> Species of plant

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Orania sylvicola is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found in southern Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

Tectiphiala ferox, or palmiste bouglé, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is endemic to Mauritius.

<i>Aubregrinia</i> Genus of flowering plants

Aubregrinia is a genus of plant in the family Sapotaceae first described as a genus in 1935.

<i>Coccothrinax crinita</i> Species of palm

Coccothrinax crinita is a palm which is endemic to Cuba. Like other members of the genus Coccothrinax, C. barbadensis is a fan palm.

<i>Roystonea oleracea</i> Species of palm

Roystonea oleracea, sometimes known as the Caribbean royal palm, palmiste, imperial palm or cabbage palm, is a species of palm which is native to the Lesser Antilles, Colombia, Venezuela, and Trinidad and Tobago. It is also reportedly naturalized in Guyana and on the islands of Mauritius and Réunion in the Indian Ocean.

A. rubra may refer to:

<i>Sphaeropteris crinita</i> Species of fern

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References

  1. Page, W. (1998). "Acanthophoenix rubra". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species . 1998: e.T38181A10098570. doi: 10.2305/IUCN.UK.1998.RLTS.T38181A10098570.en .
  2. 1 2 3 Grubben, G.J.H. & Denton, O.A. (2004) Plant Resources of Tropical Africa 2. Vegetables. PROTA Foundation, Wageningen; Backhuys, Leiden; CTA, Wageningen.
  3. " Acanthophoenix crinita". Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families. Retrieved 8 September 2008.