Ammandra

Ammandra decasperma is an endemic species of palm in Colombia. It is the only species of the genus Ammandra. The endosperm of the seeds provides vegetable product ivory.

Features

Ammandra decasperma is a stemless or short-stemmed, scattered and non-reinforced palm. The trunk is very short, just as the internodes, and it is hidden by the long, slender leaf sheaths fibers. The leaves are pinnate, the stem is erect, long and slender. The leaf surface is glossy dark green.

From the closely related genera of Phytelepheae Ammandra be distinguished by the following combination of characters: The male flowers have very small, roundish anthers with very short stamens, sitting at a square, polyhedral receptaculum.

The chromosome number is unknown.

Dissemination and locations

The genus is endemic to Colombia. It occurs only in the western coastal regions in two small part areas. It grows in the understory of forests in areas with high and year-round rainfall.

System

The genus Ammandra is placed in the subfamily Ceroxyloideae, Tribe Phytelepheae within the family Arecaceae. The genus is monotypic, it consists of a single type Ammandra decasperma. Their sister group is Aphandra.

In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, just the way Ammandra decasperma is recognized.

The name Ammandra is derived from the words ammos = sand and recog = man and refers to the fact that the anthers look like grains of sand.

Documents

• John Dransfield, Natalie W. Uhl, Conny B. Asmussen, William J. Baker, Madeline M. Harley, Carl E. Lewis: Genera palmarum. The Evolution and Classification of Palms. Second edition, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 2008, ISBN 978-1-84246-182-2, pp. 346ff.