Chamaedorea lucidifrons L.H.Bailey, Gentes Herb. 6: 244 (1943)

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

Costa Rica present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B

Nicaragua present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B

Panamá present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B

PANAMA. Cocle. COLOMBIA? (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

The description is from Bailey (l943a, 1943b) who named and described C. lucidifrons without having seen good flowers of either sex, and is supplemented from our collection at the type locality. C. lucidifrons is very distinctive vegetatively because of its broadly sigmoid pinnae with conspicuous and prominent nerves, the latter which resemble, in many respects, those of C. tepejilote. The pinnae are among the broadest ofany Chamaedorea; only those of some forms of C. arenbergiana and C. warscewiczii approach the pinnae of C. lucidifrons in width.
Staminate flowers are not known for C. lucidifrons so its placement in subgenus Chamaedorea is tentative. However, the nerved fruiting perianth seems to suggest that it is appropriately placed here. Probably closest to the highly variable C. pinnatifrons, the broadly sigmoid, thin pinnae markedly contracted basally and with numerous nerves visible above and below, the inflorescences emerging well below the leaves, and the slender, s-curved, upwardpointing fruiting rachillae distinguish C. lucidifrons. Apparently not cultivated, C. lucidifrons is not widely distributed, occurring only sparingly at the type locality near El Valle. A Kalbreyer collection from Colombia is tentatively referred to C. lucidifrons (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Dense, wet forest near the Continental Divide; 600 m elevation. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

From the Latin lucidus meaning shining or clear and frons meaning leaf, apparently in reference to the shining lower surface of the pinnae. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

Habit: solitary, slender, erect, to 3 m tall. Stem: 2-3 cm diam., green, ringed, internodes 5-10 cm long. Leaves: 3-5, erect-spreading, pinnate; petiole to 45 cm long, ± flattened and green above and slightly grooved near base, green and rounded below; rachis 65 cm long, angled and green above, rounded and green below with a pale indistinct yellow band extending to sheath; pinnae 7 on each side of rachis, 30-35 x 8-12 cm, oblong-lanceolate, alternate, strongly sigmoid, long-acuminate, contracted basally, glossy, lucid particularly on lower surface, strongly nerved with 7-10 conspicuous and prominent primary nerves, these drying keeled and pale above, keeled and shining yellow below, secondaries nearly as conspicuous as primaries, tertiaries faint. Inflorescences: Staminate not seen. Pistillate emerging from bare stem well below the leaves; peduncle to 60 cm long, slender, 1-1.5 cm wide at base, erect; bracts 6-8, tightly sheathing, brownish and ± splitting in fruit; rachis 2-4 cm long; branched portion 22 cm long and nearly as broad; rachillae 7-11, these 10-25 cm long, slender, I mm diam., simple, glabrous, upwardly s-curved, flexuous, orange in fruit. Flowers: not seen. Fruits: 5-6 x 4-5 mm, ellipsoid-globose, black, irregularly and shallowly wrinkled when dry; perianth nerved, small, lobes spreading. (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

COLOMBIA. Without specific locality: Kalbreyer 1569 (GOET). PANAMA. Cocle: Hodel 743, 1110 (BH, PMA). (Hodel, D. 1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.)A

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

B. World Checklist of Arecaceae