Pholidostachys

Pholidostachys is a native to Central and South America Palm genus. Their representatives are small to medium sized, fiederblättrige palm trees with conspicuously long slender petioles.

• 3.1 Internal systematics
• 3.2 Botanical History

• 4.1 Notes and references

Features

The representatives are single-stemmed. Only Pholidostachys pulchra forms several tribes. The stems are erect, with the exception of a kind, 1 to 11 m high and 3 to 22 cm thick. In Pholidostachys panamensis strains are shorter and partly decumbent.

The chromosome number is unknown.

A strain carries 4 to 17 leaves, the average is 14 The leaf sheaths are slightly open, there is no crown shaft formed. At the edge of the leaf sheaths are mostly fibrous. The petiole is well developed. The average length per style ranges from 51.7 to 102.1 cm. The rachis is well trained in all species, the average length here ranges from 42.0 to 192.4 cm. The leaves are pinnate, never undivided. The Rachisseite are 3 to 18 leaflets. These are the same or different width and are arranged regularly. The leaf shape of the leaflets is usually lanceolate to slightly sigmoidal. Often the Fiederbasis is contracted and folded. The Fiedernspitze is long and pointed.

Inflorescences

There are in the genus different types of inflorescences: The inflorescence may be branched with an elongated peduncle, a short inflorescence axis and more to flower hanging Rachillae ( flower-bearing axes) once; he may be branched one to two times with a well-developed stem and axis and several protruding flowering Rachillae; he may be branched once or rarely twice with a well-developed stem, short axis and a plurality of upright Rachillae; he may be a well-developed ear of corn shaped handle, missing axis and a bent or upright Rachilla.

The inflorescence forms different forms of Page Down and bracts are accompanied on the inflorescence stalk. In Pholidostachys dactyloides the Rachillae flowering time are completely enclosed by the fibrous bracts. In most other species, the bracts are woody and cover the Rachillae not flowering.

The flowers pits at the Rachillae are covered lips, the shape of which is taxonomically important. You may be irregularly shaped, frequently pointed or tapered and cover the pit before flowering completely; they can be, plump and completely cover the pit before flowering regularly formed; or they are regular in shape, rounded and do not cover the pits.

The flowers are in triads, at least in the lowest areas of Rachillae. The upper portions usually bear only male flowers.

Flowers

The male flowers consist of three free, narrow sepals, three valvaten, short fused together at the base of petals and six stamens. The filaments are fused almost completely into a tube, but are free at the top. However, this free part is short and triangular, with two types of linear and inflected.

The female flowers have similar sepals and petals. They have a Staminodienröhre it lobed tips. At the height of these peaks are spread out in a star shape. The stylus is extended with three protruding scars.

The inflorescences of all kinds are likely to be protandrous. About the pollination is not known. From the structure of the inflorescence produces different pollinators come into question.

Fruit and seeds

The fruits have different shape but all have basal scar remains. The mold can be compressed, obovate in side view with asymmetrical base, be ellipsoidal in front view, where there is a distinct longitudinal ridge on one side and several small ribs on the opposite side; with the same form, there can be only one clear longitudinal rib meridional; the fruit can hardly compressed, obovate, be with indistinct longitudinal ribs; they can be broadly obovate, be a significant longitudinal rib; or scarcely compressed, ellipsoidal and be with indistinct longitudinal rib.

Dissemination and locations

The distribution area of Pholidostachys ranges from Nicaragua to the north to Peru and Brazil to the south. Most species occur in Colombia ago with six species. The sites range from sea level to 1750 m above sea level, the majority of the finds being but comes from deep layers. The species colonize all similar locations. Mostly they grow in lowland or mountain rain forest to non- flooded areas, rarely on flooded land.

They grow in the understory of tropical rainforests.

System

Pholidostachys is classified within the palm family ( Arecaceae ) in the subfamily Arecoideae, Tribe Geonomateae. She is a monophyletic group. Their sister group is Welfia.

Internal system

In the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, the following types are recognized:

• Pholidostachys amazonensis
• Pholidostachys dactyloides
• Pholidostachys kalbreyeri
• Pholidostachys occidentalis
• Pholidostachys panamensis
• Pholidostachys pulchra
• Pholidostachys sanluisensis
• Pholidostachys synanthera

Botanical history

The genus was first described in 1883 by Joseph Dalton Hooker and ascribed to Hermann Wendland. Type species is Pholidostachys pulchra. Wessels Boer 1968 recognized three species in its genus revision. The next revision of Henderson showed in 2012 at a much broader data base ( 288 against 16 herbarium specimens ) eight kinds. This view was followed by the World Checklist of Selected Plant Families of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

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. 473-475.
• Andrew Henderson: A revision of Pholidostachys ( Arecaceae ). Phytotaxa 43, 2012, pp. 1-48.