Chamaedorea queroana Hodel, Phytologia 68: 406 (1990)

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Distribution

MEXICO. Oaxaca. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Discussion

  • C. queroana is quite distinct among Mexican members ofthe genus and actually appears closest to C. pumila from the wet Atlantic slope of Costa Rica. However, the generally much smaller habit, thick, leathery leaves, and drooping staminate rachillae distinguish C. pumila. Staminate flowers of C. queroana are quite unusual, the connate petals with flared apexes forming a rather distinctive, campanulate corolla tube. Other than a few plants in the research collection in Los Angeles, C. queroana is not cultivated. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Biology And Ecology

  • Wet forest on the Atlantic slope; 1,300 m elevation. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Etymology

  • Honors Hermilo Quero-Rico, Mexican botanist and former Director of the Jardín Botánico, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de México. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Description

  • Habit: solitary, erect or decumbent, appearing stemless, to 1 m tall. Stem: 2-3 cm diam., to 10 cm long, creeping in leaf litter, densely and prominently ringed, internodes very short, 5 mm long, covered with persistent leaf sheaths. Leaves: 4-5, erect-spreading, regularly or variously and unevenly pinnate but occasionally bifid; sheath 7-14 cm long, obliquely long-open, tubular only near base, green but pale along apical margins, longitudinally striate-nerved; petiole 15-70 cm long, dark green, minutely but conspicuously white-spotted, flattened above and grooved near base, rounded below; rachis 10-40 cm long if blade pinnate, to 10 cm long if bifid, angled and green above, rounded and green below; pinnae to 10 on each side of rachis, middle ones longest, to 16 x 3-4 cm, lanceolate, sigmoid, acuminate, contracted basally, thin, lightly mottled green, a prominent midrib flanked by two submarginal primary nerves, I secondary between each of these, tertiaries numerous, faint, apical pair of pinnae with 3 primary nerves, secondaries and tertiaries numerous, faint; if bifid, blade to 25 x 18 cm, incised apically to more than 1/2 its length, exterior margins slightly toothed toward apex, 8-10 primary nerves on each side ofrachis, 2 faint secondaries between each pair of primaries, tertiaries numerous, inconspicuous; or blade variously pinnate with larger terminal pair and smaller basal pinnae. Inflorescences: infrafoliar, erect-arcuate, long-pedunculate; peduncles to 50 cm long, stiff, straight, 5-7 mm wide at base, 2-4 mm wide at apex, greenish in flower where exposed, bright orange in fruit; bracts 6-9, prophyll 1-3 cm long, 2nd bract 1.5-5 cm, 3rd 2.5-8 cm, 4th 3.5-15 cm, 5th 6-20 cm, 6th 8-12 cm, 7th 8-10 cm, 8th 7-10 cm and concealing rudimentary 9th that is 1 cm long, tubular, acute-acuminate, bifid, longitudinally striate-nerved, green to brown in flower, brown or fallen in fruit. Staminate with rachis to 10 cm long, green in flower; rachillae 6-13, basal ones longest, to 18 cm long, apical ones to 15 cm long, 1-1.5 mm diam., erect, pale green in flower. Pistillate spicate or forked; rachillae or flower-bearing portion to 7 cm long, stiff, erect, 1-1.5 mm diam. and white to pale green in flower, 2.5-4 mm diam. and bright orange in fruit, longitudinally and finely striate-angled when dry. Flowers: Staminate in moderate spirals, 2.5-3 x 1.5 mm, ovoid-oblong; calyx 0.5 x 1.5 mm, moderately lobed, thin, sepals connate in basal 1/2, rounded apically; petals 3 x 1.5 mm, oblong, connate in basal 2/3 and forming a distinct campanulate corolla tube, acute, free and slightly reflexed apically, white tinged with green apically; stamens 1-1.25 mm tall, filaments short or nearly lacking, to 0.3 mm long, these ± triangular, fleshy basally, anthers 0.8-1 mm long, slender, basifixed, flush around pistillode; pistillode 2-2.5 mm high, slender, grooved. Pistillate in 6 dense spirals, 2-3 mm apart, 2.5-3 x 2.5 mm, ± ovoid, leaving superficial and rounded scars 1mm wide; calyx when dry raised 0.25 mm above axis on a stalk 0.75 mm diam., explanate, 0.75-1 x 2 mm, shallowly lobed, membranous to ± fleshy, sepals connate and/or imbricate in basal 3/4, broadly rounded apically; corolla raised 0.5 mm above calyx on central stalk when dry, petals 2.5-3 x 3 mm, broadly ovate, imbricate in basal 1/2, erect or slightly recurved apically, acute, thick, fleshy, durable, pale green tinged with dark green apically, brown above, obscurely nerved when dry; 1 staminode present, toothlike; pistil 1-1.25 x 0.75-1 mm, globose-ovoid, pale green, styles short, 0.25 mm long, stigma lobes recurved, darkened. Fruits: 14 x 7.5 mm, ovoid, tip pointed, black; fruiting perianth persistent with petals bright shining orange, conspicuous, fleshy, to 3 mm long with a prominent midrib and lateral nerves below. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Materials Examined

  • MEXICO. Oaxaca: Croat 48049 (MO); Hodel 943A (BH, MEXU); Moore 8914 (BH). Chamaedorea quezalteca. EL SALVADOR. Ahuachapan: Standley 20137 (F, GH). Santa Ana: Carlson 680 (F). GUATEMALA. Alta Verapaz: Hodel 895 (AGUAT, BH); Moore 8224 (BH). Baja Verapaz: Hodel 1103 (AGUAT, BH). Chiquimula: Standley 31576 (F), El Progreso: Steyermark 43016 (F). Escuintla: Standley 64860 (F). Huehuetenango: Hodel 998 (AGUAT, BH). Quetzaltenango: Hodel 901 (AGUAT, BH); Skutch 947 (GH); Standley 65423,68331,68401,86912 (F). San Marcos: Hodel 997 (AGUAT, BH); Williams 26216,26218 (F). Suchitepequez: Steyermark 46610, 46673 (F). Zacapa: Steyermark29867 (F). HONDURAS. Atlantida: Standley 59342 (F). Comayagua: Yuncker 6025 (F, GH, MICH, S, U), 6183 (GH), 6184 (F, GH, MICH, U). Morazan: Glassman 2037 (GH); Moore 6754 (BH). Tegucigalpa: von Hagen 1283 (F). Yoro: von Hagen 1026 (F). MEXICO. Chiapas: Breedlove 16095, 21785, 31337, 67428, 69095 (CAS); Matuda 1929 (F, GH, MEXU, MICH). (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Bibliography

    A. Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.