Desmoncus cirrhifera A.H.Gentry & Zardini, Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 76: 1436 (1989)

https://media.e-taxonomy.eu/palmae/photos/palm_tc_60358_1.jpg

Content

Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)

Colombia present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)C

Ecuador present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)C

Panamá present (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)B

W Colombia and Ecuador, in tropical and pre-montane moist and wet forest up to 900 m elevation. (Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador)A

From 9°24'N-1°27'S and 75°05'-79°84'W in central and eastern Panama, western Colombia, and western Ecuador at 180(1-700) m elevation in wet, lowland rainforest, sometimes in disturbed areas (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)B

Discussion

The species is easily recognised by the long tail at the apex the leaflets (Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador)A
Subspecific variation:-There is a gap in the distribution of this species, in southern Colombia. Although this may be an artifact of insufficient collecting, specimens from Ecuador appear larger than those from Colombia and Panama. However, there are too few data to test for differences. (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)B

Description

Subcanopy reaching liana. Stems clustered, to 10 m long, 1-2 cm in diameter. Leaves 1-2 m long; rachis in adult plants armed with numerous short, recurved spines used in climbing; pinnae 5-9 on each side, regularly spaced, elliptic, thin, nearly glabrous, to 20 cm long and 7 cm wide, distally extended into an up to 10 cm long filament; distal part of the leaf axis with a few pairs of pinnae transformed into climbing hooks. Inflorescence 30-50 cm long; branches 15-20, each 15-20 cm long. Fruits yellow to red, elongate, 1.5-2.5 cm long. (Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador)A
Plants 11.0(3.0-20.0) m tall; stems 2.0(1.2-3.0) cm diameter, clustered. Leaf petioles 10.8(7.0-16.5) cm long; rachises 105.3(91.0-117.0) cm long, 6.0(4.0-8.1) mm wide, the spines usually <1 cm long, mostly abaxial, recurved with markedly swollen bases; pinnae 9(7-15) per side of rachis, with long, filiform apices, without a beard of spines at the bases, without spinules or dense tomentum at the bases adaxially; basal pinna 19.4(17.0-21.0) cm long, 4.2(2.5-6.0) cm wide; cirri poorly-developed, the rachis terminating in a short cirrus, acanthophylls absent but some small, acanthophyll-like pinnae present, with many, usually paired spines. Inflorescences with the rachis angular, slightly twisted, thicker than the few to numerous, closely spaced and spirally arranged rachillae, each rachilla not (or very rarely) adnate to the rachis, subtended by an acute bracteole and with a well-developed axillary pulvinus; peduncles 5.4(3.3-7.1) mm wide; peduncular bracts 22.5 cm long, broad, ribbed or ridged, densely covered with felty, reddish-brown tomentum, sparsely covered with short, scarcely swollen-based, diagonally oriented, flattened spines, whitish-brown proximally, brown distally, with tomentose margins; rachillae 24(19-33), tomentose initially; proximal rachillae 6.0(4.0- 8.0) cm long, 1.7(1.4-2.0) mm wide; stamens 6; fruits 18.2(14.3-20.9) mm long, 13.4(9.8-15.7) mm wide, the surfaces uneven with numerous, subepidermal, short, often branching (Y-shaped) fibers; fruiting corollas less than one quarter as long as fruits, splitting irregularly into 3 lobes, the lobes often splitting again; endocarps globose to obovoid with rounded or slightly peaked apices, the pores lateral. (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)B

Use Record

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Artesanía. (...). Como elementos de artesanía femenina, se destacan entre los AWA (...), las escobas de pambil (Socratea exorrhiza (Mart.) H. A. Wendl.), canastos de Yare (...) y Matamba (Desmoncus chirriferus Gentry & Zardini),(...). (González, M.S. 1994: Flora utilizada por los Awa de Albi con énfasis en especies medicinales-estudio de Botánica Económica- (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Domestic Not specified Indigenous Awá Colombia
Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Artesanía. Estípite. (García Cossio, F., Y.A. Ramos, J.C. Palacios, and A. Ríos 2002: La familia Arecaceae, recurso promisorio para la economía en el Departamento del Chocó (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Other Stem Not identified N/A Colombia
Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Cestería. Tallo (Cerón, C.E., and C. Montalvo 2000: Reserva Biológica Limoncocha. Formaciones vegetales, Diversidad y Etnobotánica. (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Domestic Stem Indigenous Awá Ecuador
Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Con el estípite se elaboran objetos artesanales. (Pino, N., and H. Valois 2004: Ethnobotany of Four Black Communities of the Municipality of Quibdo, Choco - Colombia. (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Other Stem Afro-Americano N/A Colombia

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Not specified	Indigenous	Awá	Colombia

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Other	Stem	Not identified	N/A	Colombia

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Stem	Indigenous	Awá	Ecuador

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Other	Stem	Afro-Americano	N/A	Colombia

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Desmoncus cirrhifera is one of the most utilized palm species of the Pacific coast region of Colombia. It is used to make nets and shrimp traps (catangas) in the Bahía Malaga and Río San Juan delta areas (sub Gentry et al. 53392) and is prized by the Chocó Indians at Taparalito and Docordó who make their strongest baskets from it. (Gentry, A. 1988: New species and a new combination for plants from trans-Andean South America (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Hunting and fishing	Not specified	Not identified	N/A	Colombia
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Not specified	Indigenous	Not specified	Colombia

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: From the flexible stems of the matamba (Desmoncus cirrhiferus), used to construct cradles, to the corpulent stipes of the barrigona ( Dictyocarium lamarkianum), which are used as coffins, palms are forever present in human life in the jungle. (Bernal, R. 1998: Demography of the Vegetable Ivory Palm Phytelephas seemannii in Colombia, and the Impact of Seed Harvesting (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Domestic Stem Not identified N/A Colombia

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Stem	Not identified	N/A	Colombia

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Numerosos utensilios de la casa son también fabricados con palmas: las cunas en las que se arrullan los niños son tejidas con los tallos flexibles de la matamba (Desmoncus cirrhiferus); los canastos en los que se guardan las pertenencias y los abanicos con los que se aviva el fuego se fabrican con fibras de los pecíolos del antá; las escobas se hacen con los cogollos del amargo. (…). También los implementos de caza y pesca se fabrican con palmas: las cerbatanas o bodoqueras se elaboran con los tallos de las especies de Catoblastus y Wettinia; las catangas, o trampas para pescar, se construyen con matamba y chacarrá; con las semillas de la tagua se fabricaban antiguamente unos pitos eficientes para atraer a los animales de caza. (Bernal, R., and G. Galeano 1993: Las palmas del andén Pacífico. (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Hunting and fishing	Not specified	Indigenous	Not specified	Colombia
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Stem	Indigenous	Not specified	Colombia

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Tallo. (IIAP 2008: Investigación aplicada e implementación de buenas prácticas para el aprovechamiento y transformación sostenible de materias primas vegetales de uso artesanal en los Departamentos de Valle y Chocó (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Other Stem Afro-Americano N/A Colombia

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Other	Stem	Afro-Americano	N/A	Colombia

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: The stems are used for making fish traps called catanga and baskets. Raw fruis are edible. (Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Human Food	Food	Fruits	Not identified	N/A	Ecuador
Utensils and Tools	Domestic	Stem	Not identified	N/A	Ecuador
Utensils and Tools	Hunting and fishing	Stem	Not identified	N/A	Ecuador

Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini: Uso Artesanal. El tallo usaban antiguamente para hacer lanzas. (Cerón, C.E., C. Montalvo, A. Calazacón et al. 2004: Etnobotánica Tsáchila, Pichincha-Ecuador (as Desmoncus cirrhiferus A.H.Gentry & Zardini))
Use Category Use Sub Category Plant Part Human Group Ethnic Group Country
Utensils and Tools Hunting and fishing Stem Indigenous Tsáchila Ecuador

Use Category	Use Sub Category	Plant Part	Human Group	Ethnic Group	Country
Utensils and Tools	Hunting and fishing	Stem	Indigenous	Tsáchila	Ecuador

Bibliography

A. Borchsenius F., Borgtoft-Pedersen H. and Baslev H. 1998. Manual to the Palms of Ecuador. AAU Reports 37. Department of Systematic Botany, University of Aarhus, Denmark in collaboration with Pontificia Universidad Catalica del Ecuador

B. Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88

C. World Checklist of Arecaceae

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