Solitaire palm | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Monocots |
Clade: | Commelinids |
Order: | Arecales |
Family: | Arecaceae |
Genus: | Ptychosperma |
Species: | P. elegans |
Binomial name | |
Ptychosperma elegans | |
Synonyms [3] | |
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Ptychosperma elegans, commonly known as the solitaire palm (or elegant palm after the scientific name), is a very slender palm endemic to Queensland in Australia. [1] [3] [4] In the nursery trade and in the United States it may be confusingly referred to as Alexander palm, which is an often-used but misnomered name of another Australian palm species Archontophoenix alexandrae , the Alexandra palm (note the difference in gender between the two names).
Ptychosperma elegans is a solitary-stemmed palm growing to a height of 10–12 m (33–39 ft). The slender stem measures up to 8–10 cm (3.1–3.9 in) in diameter, is slightly bulging at the base, is light grey in colour, and has prominent leaf scars encircling the trunk. [4] [5]
The crown usually has 7 to 11 pinnate fronds [6] that reach lengths of around 3 metres (9.8 ft). [4] [7] The petiole (leaf stem) is around 30 cm (12 in) long; the crownshaft around 60 cm (24 in) long and mid-green in colour with a whitish waxy coating. [6] [7] The pinnae (leaflets) number between 30 and 60 on each side of the rachis or midrib, [4] measure up to 84 cm (33 in) in length at the middle of the frond and shorter at each end, [4] [6] and have an obliquely praemorse tip (i.e. with a jagged edge like a fishtail). [6] [7]
Inflorescences are about 70 cm (28 in) long and produced on the trunk just below the crownshaft. [4] [6] Flowers are grouped in sets of 3, each with one pistillate (functionally female) and two staminate (functionally male) flowers. [4] [7] They are light green with 3 sepals and 3 petals; staminate flowers are about 6 mm (0.24 in) long with 12-22 stamens, pistilate flowers measure about 5 mm (0.20 in) and have 6 staminodes and a 1 mm (0.039 in) recurved stigma. [4]
Fruits of Ptychosperma elegans measure 9–15 mm (0.35–0.59 in) long and 8–10 mm (0.31–0.39 in) wide, are bright red when ripe and the remains of the stigma is attached at one end. [4] [7] There is a thin layer of flesh around the solitary seed, which is about 10 mm (0.39 in) long and 7 mm (0.28 in) wide with five deep longitudinal grooves. [4] [6]
Originally described as Seaforthia elegans in 1810 by Robert Brown in his work Prodromus Florae Novae Hollandiae et Insulae Van Diemen , it was given its current binomial name in 1843 by Carl Ludwig Blume in his publication Rumphia, sive, Commentationes botanicæ imprimis de plantis Indiæ Orientalis. [8] [9]
The genus name Ptychosperma is derived from the Ancient Greek word ptukhḗ , meaning "a fold"; and spérma , "seed". The species epithet elegans comes from the Latin term ēlegāns meaning "graceful" or "elegant". [10]
The species is endemic to Queensland, Australia, where it grows in both tropical and sub-tropical rainforests as an understory tree, often close to rivers and streams where there is plentiful water and good drainage. Its altitudinal range is from sea level to 900 m (3,000 ft). [4]
The tropical species is a popular palm in gardens and parks, where its arched crown, slender trunk, and red fruit are regarded as appealing feature. They are less successful in cooler climates and somewhat to susceptible to frosts. Plants grown in pots or indoors require high amounts of light with humid and warm conditions. A blight that covers leaves with dark brown patches, especially in sub-tropical climates, does not seem to interfere with a specimen's growth. [11] Ptychosperma elegans is cultivated as an ornamental tree for planting in temperate climate gardens and parks. [12] It is a single trunked tree, that in cultivation can reach 20–40 feet (6.1–12.2 m) in height.
It has been naturalized in South Florida since at least the 1950s, and remains the only member of its genus naturalized in the USA. Due to its intolerance of cold, it is mostly found in South Florida and coastal Tampa. It also is used in Coastal Southern California, primarily Orange and San Diego counties.
Trema is a genus of about 15 species of evergreen trees closely related to the hackberries (Celtis), occurring in subtropical and tropical regions of southern Asia, northern Australasia, Africa, South and Central America, and parts of North America. They are generally small trees, reaching 10–20 m (33–66 ft) tall.
Charles Ludwig de Blume or Karl Ludwig von Blume was a German-Dutch botanist. The standard author abbreviation Blume is used to indicate this person as the author when citing a botanical name.
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".
Archontophoenix alexandrae, commonly known as Alexandra palm, king palm, northern Bangalow palm, or feather palm, is a palm endemic to Queensland, Australia. It was named in honour of Princess Alexandra of Denmark, but is often erroneously referred to by the misnomer Alexander palm.
Saribus rotundifolius, also known as the footstool palm, is a common fan palm found in Southeast Asia. It is a member of the genus Saribus.
Dypsis ambositrae is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is found only in Madagascar where it is threatened by habitat loss.
Normanbya is a monotypic genus of palms containing the single species Normanbya normanbyi, which is known by the common name black palm It is endemic to Queensland, Australia and is threatened by habitat destruction.
Ptychosperma macarthurii, commonly known as the Macarthur palm, is a species of tree in the palm family Arecaceae. Its native range is northern Cape York Peninsula in Queensland with a number of disjunct populations in the Northern Territory and New Guinea. The species has been widely planted in tropical areas and is commonly grown as an indoor plant.
Archontophoenix cunninghamiana – commonly known as Bangalow palm, king palm, Illawara palm or piccabeen palm – is a tree in the palm family Arecaceae which is endemic to the east coast of New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
Calyptrocalyx is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in Papua New Guinea and the nearby Maluku Islands. Ranging from small to large, the palms in this genus are increasingly found in cultivation owing largely to their purple, red, and orange colored, new foliage. At least 26 species have been described while others, known only by local names, have not yet received a taxonomic account. Palms formerly classified within Paralinospadix have been incorporated into this genus. It is named from 2 Greek words meaning 'covered' and 'calyx'.
Dictyosperma is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in the Mascarene Islands in the Indian Ocean. The sole species, Dictyosperma album, is widely cultivated in the tropics but has been farmed to near extinction in its native habitat. It is commonly called princess palm or hurricane palm, the latter owing to its ability to withstand strong winds by easily shedding leaves. It is closely related to, and resembles, palms in the genus Archontophoenix. The genus is named from two Greek words meaning "net" and "seed" and the epithet is Latin for "white", the common color of the crownshaft at the top of the trunk.
Lepidorrhachis is a monotypic genus of flowering plant in the palm family restricted to Lord Howe Island. The genus name for the single, monoecious species, Lepidorrhachis mooreana, comes from two Greek word meaning "scale" and "rachis", and the epithet honors Charles Moore, first director of the Sydney Botanical Gardens. The common name is Little Mountain Palm.
Ptychococcus is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family from New Guinea and the Solomon Islands. They are closely related to Ptychosperma, only differentiated by the seed shape and endocarp type. The name is a combination of the Greek for "fold" and the Latin for "berry".
Balaka insularis is a rare species of flowering plant in the palm family endemic to Samoa. It was formerly placed in the monotypic genus Solfia with the species name Solfia samoensis. It was placed in the genus Balaka in 2014.
Archontophoenix maxima, the Walsh River palm, is the largest species of the genus Archontophoenix. It is endemic to Queensland, Australia. This robust palm grows in rainforest at altitudes between 800 and 1,200 m on the Walsh River and the adjacent Mount Haig Range in the Atherton Tablelands at approximately 17° South latitude.
Archontophoenix tuckeri, the Rocky River palm or Cape York palm, is a palm native to Australia.
Cephrenes trichopepla, the yellow palm dart, is a butterfly of the family Hesperiidae. It is found in Australia, Papua and Papua New Guinea. It has recently been recorded from Singapore and Sri Lanka.
Dictyoneura is a genus of two-to-three species of rainforest trees known to science, constituting part of the plant family Sapindaceae.
Hydriastele wendlandiana, commonly known as Wendland's palm, cat o' nine tails, creek palm or kentia palm, is a tall, multi-stemmed tree in the palm family Arecaceae. It is native to New Guinea and the Australian states of Queensland and the Northern Territory.
Freycinetia marginata, commonly known as giant climbing pandan, is a climbing plant in the family Pandanaceae. It is native to New Guinea and Queensland, Australia.