Desmoncus myriacanthos Dugand, Caldasia 2: 75 (1943)

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Distribution

Map uses TDWG level 3 distributions (https://github.com/tdwg/wgsrpd)
Colombia present (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)A
Panamá present (World Checklist of Arecaceae)B
Venezuela present (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)A
From 6°13'-11°18'N and 72°00'-80°18'W in central and eastern Panama, northwestern Colombia, and just reaching Venezuela (Zulia) at 73(10-125) m elevation in lowland rainforest. (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)A

Discussion

  • Taxonomic notes:-Although published in the same year, 1943, Desmoncus myriacanthos predates D. isthmius by several months.
    Subspecific variation:-Specimens are from scattered areas but this is likely to be an artifact of insufficient collecting. The southernmost specimen (Forero 9080) from the Chocó region comes from one of the wettest areas in Colombia, in contrast to the much dryer habitat of the other specimens from northwestern Colombia. (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)A

Description

  • Plants 5.8(3.0-9.0) m tall; stems 2.5(1.4-3.7) cm diameter, clustered. Leaf petioles 2.6(2.0-3.5) cm long; rachises 99.0(67.0-131.0) cm long, 8.2(4.8-11.0) mm wide, the spines usually >1 cm long, mostly adaxial or lateral, straight with briefly swollen bases; pinnae 23(18-29) per side of rachis, without long, filiform apices, with an adaxial beard of spines at the bases, without spinules or dense tomentum at the bases adaxially; basal pinna 22.0(18.0-27.0) cm long, 2.2(1.2-4.2) cm wide; cirri well-developed, with acanthophylls, without spines abaxially, with intermediate acanthophylls present (i.e., distalmost pair of pinnae reflexed as acanthophylls and with swollen bases and/or proximalmost acanthophylls like vestigial pinnae), without a wide gap between pinnae and acanthophylls. Inflorescences with the rachis ridged, not twisted, much thicker than the numerous, closely spaced and spirally or irregularly arranged rachillae, each rachilla not or only briefly adnate to the rachis, subtended by an acute bracteole and with a well-developed axillary pulvinus; peduncles 5.6(3.2-8.6) mm wide; peduncular bracts 26.7(20.0-34.0) cm long, broad, the surfaces ribbed, brown tomentose, sparsely to densely covered with long, straight or sinuous, briefly swollen-based, diagonally or vertically oriented spines, these flattened or triangular in cross-section, whitish-brown proximally, black or brown distally, with tomentose margins; rachillae 23(16-32), glabrous or scarcely tomentose initially; proximal rachillae 10.7(5.5-15.8) cm long, 1.3(0.8-2.2) mm wide; stamens 8-9; fruits 15.1(12.6-21.0) mm long, 8.2(7.0-10.3) mm wide, the surfaces uneven with numerous, subepidermal, short, often branching (Y-shaped) fibers; fruiting corollas less than one quarter as long as fruits, not or scarcely splitting, tending to remain cupular; endocarps narrowly ellipsoid with rounded apices, the pores lateral. (Henderson, A. 2011: A revision of Desmoncus (Arecaceae). – Phytotaxa 35: 1-88)A

Bibliography

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