Oenocarpus

Oenocarpus distichus

Oenocarpus is a native to Central and South America Palm genus. It is characterized by ponytail - like inflorescences.

• 5.1 Notes and references

Features

The representatives are medium -sized to massive, single or multi-stemmed, non-reinforced palms. They are monoecious. The stem is erect, densely covered with fibrous leaf sheaths and is bald in old age. The leaf scars are smooth.

The chromosome number is 2n = 36

The leaves are pinnate or all - in two parts. They are spirally or in two rows ( distich ). Young they are more upright, spread -grown. The sheaths do not form a distinct crown shaft. On the opposite side of the petiole, the sheaths split. They are thick and leathery. The petiole is short, on the upper side with a groove around the under side. The leaflets may be under hand occupied with various scales and hair.

Inflorescences

The inflorescences are in the bud stage between the leaves, and later under the leaves. They are shaped like a horse's tail. You are branched once. The peduncle is short or long, flattened and hairy. The cover sheet is short, broad, zweikielig, abaxial wrenching and wide with serrated margins. The bract on peduncle is much longer than the previous sheet, round and beaked. The inflorescence axis is longer than the peduncle, but still rather short. The standing at her side branches are flexible, hanging and slim. They carry basal flowers triads, above paired or single male flowers.

Flowers

The male flowers are pointed and asymmetrical in bud stage. The three sepals are not fused or grown together briefly at the base. The petals are not fused, oval and slightly asymmetrical. There are - depending on the kind - 6 or 9 to 20 stamens, their filaments are round, slender, the anthers oblong, arrow-shaped bottom, rounded at the top and dull. The anthers are dorsifix, the connective does not extend beyond the anthers out. The anthers are latrors. The pollen grains are ellipsoidal and slightly to significantly asymmetric. Your longest axis is 38 to 56 microns long.

The female flowers are shorter than the male. The three sepals are not fused, almost circular and dome -shaped. The three petals are also not grown. The Staminoidien are tooth-like or absent. The stamp is egg-shaped, short-stalked, with a unicompartmental ovule. The stylus is short cylindrical and bears three fleshy scars that are bent back in the heyday.

Fruits

The fruits are ellipsoid to globose, dark purple to maturity. The perianth remains of the fruit, the scars radicals apically. The exocarp is smooth or provided with tiny bumps, and waxy. The mesocarp is fleshy and oily, the seed out there are fibers. A endocarp missing. The one seed per fruit is ovoid - ellipsoid to globose. The scar ( hilum ) is basal, the raphe side. The endosperm may be homogeneous or ruminat ( furrowed ) be and has a central cavity. The embryo sits basal, is very large and extends through the endosperm into the central cave.

Dissemination and locations

The genus occurs in the region of the rivers Amazon and Orinoco ago, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, Guyana, Suriname and French Guiana, Brazil, Peru and Bolivia. In the north of the area to Costa Rica and Panama last.

System

The genus Oenocarpus is placed in the subfamily Arecoideae, Tribe Euterpeae within the palm family. As the sister group Neonicholsonia and Prestoea are discussed. The monophyly of the genus has not been investigated.

Govaerts and Dransfield accepted 2005 in World Checklist of Palms nine types:

• Oenocarpus bacaba
• Oenocarpus balickii
• Oenocarpus bataua
• Oenocarpus circumtextus
• Oenocarpus distichus
• Oenocarpus makeru
• Oenocarpus mapora
• Oenocarpus minor
• Oenocarpus simplex

1999 Henderson the genus Jessenia included in the genus Oenocarpus, which was followed also Dransfield and colleagues in 2008 in the second edition of Genera palmarum.

The genus name is derived from the ancient Greek Oenocarpus words wine and fruit from, and refers to the production of beverages from the fruit.

Use

Oil is obtained from the pericarp of the fruit, from the mesocarp a creamy drink. The hearts of palm are eaten. From the tribes of timber and spears are obtained.

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. 467-469.