Parajubaea cocoides

Last updated

Parajubaea cocoides
Parajubaea-cocoides-AK.jpg
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Genus: Parajubaea
Species:
P. cocoides
Binomial name
Parajubaea cocoides

Parajubaea cocoides, the mountain coconut, coco Cumbe or Quito palm, is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It occurs in Ecuador, Colombia and Peru.

Contents

Description

Palms up to 16 m tall, trunk up to 45 cm in diameter. [1] [2] Leaves 3–4 m long, dark green above, grayish green beneath, with 60-70 pairs of segments or pinnae, the longest pinnae in the middle up to 70 cm long. [2] [3] Inflorescence 1–2 m long, with 50-70 short branches. [2] Fruit ellipsoid, 4-5.5 cm long, 2.8–4 cm in diameter, greenish brown. [1]

Distribution and habitat

Known only from cultivation in the Andean valleys of southern Colombia and Ecuador at elevations of 2000–3000 m. [1] [3] However, an alleged natural population was reported in a town in northern Peru at 1900 m. [4]

Uses

Parajubaea cocoides is cultivated as an ornamental palm for parks and avenues. [5] Outside its area of origin, it is found in cultivation in San Francisco, Sydney, Costa del Sol, New Zealand.The seeds are edible and taste like coconut. [3] [5]

Parajubaea cocoides next to the cathedral, at Cuenca, Ecuador. Parajubaea cocoides in front of the Cuenca New Cathedral.jpg
Parajubaea cocoides next to the cathedral, at Cuenca, Ecuador.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coconut</span> Species of plant in the palm family

The coconut tree is a member of the palm tree family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus Cocos. The term "coconut" can refer to the whole coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which botanically is a drupe, not a nut. The name comes from the old Portuguese word coco, meaning "head" or "skull", after the three indentations on the coconut shell that resemble facial features. They are ubiquitous in coastal tropical regions and are a cultural icon of the tropics.

<i>Lodoicea</i> Genus of plant, Coco de Mer

Lodoicea, commonly known as the sea coconut, coco de mer, or double coconut, is a monotypic genus in the palm family. The sole species, Lodoicea maldivica, is endemic to the islands of Praslin and Curieuse in the Seychelles. It has the largest seed in the plant kingdom. It was also formerly found on the small islets of St Pierre, Chauve-Souris, and Ile Ronde, all located near Praslin, but had become extinct there for a time until recently reintroduced.

<i>Conocarpus erectus</i> Species of flowering plant

Conocarpus erectus, commonly called buttonwood or button mangrove, is a species of mangrove shrub in the family Combretaceae. It grows on shorelines in tropical and subtropical regions around the world.

<i>Attalea maripa</i> Species of palm

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>Canna indica</i> Species of flowering plant

Canna indica, commonly known as Indian shot, African arrowroot, edible canna, purple arrowroot, Sierra Leone arrowroot, is a plant species in the family Cannaceae. It is native to much of South America, Central America, the West Indies, and Mexico. It is also naturalized in the southeastern United States, and much of Europe, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia, and Oceania.

<i>Iriartea</i> Genus of palms

Iriartea is a genus in the palm family Arecaceae, native to Central and South America. The best-known species – and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua, south into Bolivia and a great portion of Western Amazonian basin. It is the most common tree in many forests in which it occurs.

<i>Aiphanes horrida</i> Species of palm

Aiphanes horrida is a palm native to northern South America and Trinidad and Tobago. Aiphanes horrida is a solitary, spiny tree. In the wild it grows 3–10 metres tall tall with a stem diameter of 6–10 centimetres ; cultivated trees may be as much as 15 m (49') tall with a 15 cm (6") diameter. The epicarp and mesocarp of the fruit are rich in carotene and are eaten in Colombia, while the seeds are used to make candles. In parts of the Colombian Llanos, endocarps are used to play games.

<i>Itaya</i> Species of plant

Itaya amicorum is a medium-size fan palm that is native to Brazil, Colombia and Peru. It is the only species in the genus Itaya. It was unknown to science until 1972, when it was discovered on the bank of the Itaya River in the Peruvian Amazon.

<i>Parajubaea torallyi</i> Species of palm

Parajubaea torallyi, commonly known as the palma de Pasobaya or Bolivian mountain coconut, is a species of evergreen flowering plant of genus Parajubaea, in the family Arecaceae, closely related to the coconut palm in the tribe Cocoseae.

<i>Wettinia</i> Genus of palms

Wettinia is a genus of flowering plants in the palm family Arecaceae. The genus, established in 1837, contains some 20 species, but more seem to await discovery considering that 4 species - W. aequatorialis, W. lanata, W. minima and W. panamensis - were described as late as 1995. The genus is broadly divided into two groups. One group has the fruits tightly packed, while the other, formerly classified as genus Catoblastus, has fruits scattered along the inflorescence branches. It is not known whether these groups are both monophyletic. The genus is named after Frederick Augustus II of Saxony, of the House of Wettin.

<i>Macrozamia glaucophylla</i>

Macrozamia glaucophylla is a species of cycad from the genus Macrozamia and the family Zamiaceae. Endemic to New South Wales, Australia, this species has features that resembles palms, although both species are taxonomically quite different. The current population trend of Macrozamia glaucophylla is stable with 2,500 to 10,000 mature individuals. The species are found in several habitats including forest and savanna. Ecologically, Macrozamia glaucophylla lives in terrestrial system, a land-based community of organisms where the biotic and abiotic components interact in the given area.

<i>Passiflora vitifolia</i> Species of plant

Passiflora vitifolia, the perfumed passionflower, is a species of Passiflora, native to southern Central America and northwestern South America.

<i>Desmoncus orthacanthos</i> Species of palm

Desmoncus orthacanthos is a spiny, climbing palm native to tropical South America. Stems grow clustered together, and are 2–12 m long and 1.5–2 cm in diameter. Stems, leaf sheaths and often leaves are covered with black spines up to 6 cm long.

<i>Aphandra</i> Genus of palms

Aphandra is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the palm family native to the Amazon rainforest vegetation in South America. Its only species is Aphandra natalia, sometimes called mastodon palm or fiber palm, and is used by indigenous peoples in the construction of brooms and other products. This plant is commercially exploited for its edible fruits, and for its leaf sheath and petiole fibers. This fiber is almost equal to the fiber extracted from Attalea funifera and Leopoldinia piassaba, which is called piassava.

<i>Ammandra</i> Genus of palms

Ammandra is a monotypic genus of flowering plants in the palm family found in Colombia and Ecuador, where it is endangered. The sole species is Ammandra decasperma, although another species name has been proposed. It is a pinnate-leaved, dioecious palm whose seeds and petioles are used in button and basket making, respectively. It is commonly called ivory palm or cabecita.

<i>Dictyocaryum</i> Genus of palms

Dictyocaryum is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in South America. It is closely related to the genus Iriartea; they are commonly called araque or palma real. As many as eleven species have been described but this number is reduced to three in most current accounts. The genus name translates from two Greek words meaning "net" and "nut", describing the thick network of raphe fibers around the seed.

<i>Lytocaryum</i> Genus of palms

Lytocaryum is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family endemic to the Atlantic coast of Brazil, where 4 species are known. Palms once classified as Microcoelum are herein included; the genus is closely related to Syagrus, from which it is differentiated only by abundant tomentum, strongly versatile anthers, and slight epicarp, mesocarp, and endocarp differences. The name is Greek for "loose" and "nut".

<i>Mauritiella</i> Genus of palms

Mauritiella is a dioecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in South America where it is commonly called buriti. It is named after the similar and closely related genus Mauritia.

<i>Oenocarpus bataua</i> Species of palm

Oenocarpus bataua, the patawa, sehe, hungurahua (Ecuador) or mingucha, is a palm tree native to the Amazon rainforest. The tree produces edible fruits rich in high-quality oil.

References

  1. 1 2 3 Henderson, Andrew; Galeano-Garces, Gloria; Bernal, Rodrigo (1997). Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton University Press. p. 151. ISBN   0691016003.
  2. 1 2 3 Borchsenius, Finn; Pedersen, Henrik Borgtoft; Balslev, Henrik (1998). Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. Department of Systematic Botany, Aarhus University in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Católica del Ecuador. p. 153. ISBN   9788787600538.
  3. 1 2 3 Del Cañizo, Jose Antonio (2011). Palmeras (in Spanish). Mundi-Prensa Libros. ISBN   9788484763994.
  4. Roca, F (2010). "Parajubaea cocoides, a new record for Peru". Palms. 54 (3): 133–136.
  5. 1 2 National Research Council. (1989). Lost Crops of the Incas: Little-Known Plants of the Andes with Promise for Worldwide Cultivation. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C. p. 319-321