Eremospatha

taxobox
name = "Eremospatha"
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Monocots
unranked_ordo = Commelinids
ordo = Arecales
familia = Arecaceae
subfamilia = Calamoideae
tribus = Calameae
genus = "Eremospatha"
genus_authority = (G. Mann & H. Wendl.) H. Wendl.H.A. Wendland, Kerchove de Denterghem, Les Palmiers 244. 1878]
subdivision_ranks = Species
subdivision = *"Eremospatha hookeri"
*"Eremospatha macrocarpa"
*"Eremospatha wendlandiana"|

"Eremospatha" is a climbing genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists; some 12 species have been described, of which three are commonly recognized. Closely related to "Laccosperma", they are unique in the Calameae tribe by the near complete absence of bracts and bracteoles.Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) "Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore". Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. ISBN-10: ISBN-10: 0935868305 / ISBN-13: 978-0935868302] The name is from Greek meaning "without a spathe".

Description

The slender, high-climbing trunks are naturally clustering and can reach up to 45 m in length. The pinnate leaves range from 30 cm to 2.5 m on short, armed petioles; the rachis, leaf margins and cirri are also armed with spines. They are hermaphroditic, with both male and female reproductive organs present in each flower. The pale blooms are fragrant and produce a red to brown, scaly fruit, each containing one to three seeds. Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) "An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms". Portland: Timber Press. ISBN-10: 0881925586 / ISBN-13: 978-0881925586]

Distribution and habitat

These palms are native to the rain forest of west Africa, the Congo Basin, to Tanzania where they grow in swamps and alongside rivers.

References

reflist

External links

* [http://www.ars-grin.gov/cgi-bin/npgs/html/genus.pl?4362 "Eremospatha" on NPGS/GRIN]
* [http://data.gbif.org/species/14721749 GBIF Portal]
* [http://palmguide.org/genus.php?family=ARECACEAE&genus=Eremospatha Fairchild Guide to Palms: "Eremospatha"]