Aiphanes duquei
Encyclopedia
Aiphanes duquei is a species of palm
that is endemic to Colombia
. Known from only a small area in the Cordillera Occidental, it is threatened by habitat loss and forest management practices.
up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Stems grow singly, not in clonal clusters. Individuals have between 8 and 9 leaves which consists of a leaf sheath, a petiole
and a rachis
. Leaf sheaths, which wrap around the stem, are 72 cm (28 in) long. Petioles are yellow to brown, 4 to 25 cm (1.6 to 9.8 ) long, and are covered with spines up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Rachises are 91 to 110 cm (35.8 to 43.3 ), and scattered spines up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. Leaves each bear 23 to 35 pairs of leaflets.
The male flowers, which are purple in colour, are 4 to 5.2 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.204724409448819 ) long. The female flowers are larger—13 millimetre long. The fruit are red, 9 millimetre long.
in 1937 based on a collection made in November 1936 by Colombian botanist J.M. Duque. The generic epithet
, Aiphanes, coined by German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow
in 1801, derives from Greek
ai, meaning "always" and phaneros, meaning "evident", "visible" or "conspicuous". The specific epithet
, duquei, honours the collector, J.M. Duque.
Burret placed Aiphanes duquei in the subgenus Brachyanthera, one of the two subgenera into which he divided the genus. While Borchsenius and Bernal recognised the other subgenus, Macroanthera as a potentially cohesive unit, they concluded that the remaining subgenus Brachyanthera would be overly heterogeneous, and consequently abandoned Burret's use of subgenera.
. It is found in cloudy, lower montane
wet and rain forests, primarily in the Munchique and Farallones de Cali National Parks.
On the basis of its limited distribution, and the fact that its habitat is vulnerable to expanding agriculture and forest management practices, it is classified as a vulnerable species
.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
that is endemic to Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. Known from only a small area in the Cordillera Occidental, it is threatened by habitat loss and forest management practices.
Description
Aiphanes duquei is a small palm up to 5 metres (16 ft) tall with stems about 5 centimetres (2 in) in diameter which are covered with black spinesThorns, spines, and prickles
In botanical morphology, thorns, spines, and prickles are hard structures with sharp, or at least pointed, ends. In spite of this common feature, they differ in their growth and development on the plant; they are modified versions of different plant organs, stems, stipules, leaf veins, or hairs...
up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Stems grow singly, not in clonal clusters. Individuals have between 8 and 9 leaves which consists of a leaf sheath, a petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
and a rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
. Leaf sheaths, which wrap around the stem, are 72 cm (28 in) long. Petioles are yellow to brown, 4 to 25 cm (1.6 to 9.8 ) long, and are covered with spines up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Rachises are 91 to 110 cm (35.8 to 43.3 ), and scattered spines up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. Leaves each bear 23 to 35 pairs of leaflets.
The male flowers, which are purple in colour, are 4 to 5.2 mm (0.15748031496063 to 0.204724409448819 ) long. The female flowers are larger—13 millimetre long. The fruit are red, 9 millimetre long.
Taxonomy
The species was first described by German botanist Max BurretMax Burret
Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret, commonly known as Max Burret was a German botanist.Burret was born in Saffig near Andernach in the Prussian Rhine Province. He originally studied law at Lausanne and Munich at the instigation of his father...
in 1937 based on a collection made in November 1936 by Colombian botanist J.M. Duque. The generic epithet
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
, Aiphanes, coined by German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow
Carl Ludwig Willdenow
Carl Ludwig Willdenow was a German botanist, pharmacist, and plant taxonomist. He is considered one of the founders of phytogeography, the study of the geographic distribution of plants...
in 1801, derives from Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
ai, meaning "always" and phaneros, meaning "evident", "visible" or "conspicuous". The specific epithet
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
, duquei, honours the collector, J.M. Duque.
Burret placed Aiphanes duquei in the subgenus Brachyanthera, one of the two subgenera into which he divided the genus. While Borchsenius and Bernal recognised the other subgenus, Macroanthera as a potentially cohesive unit, they concluded that the remaining subgenus Brachyanthera would be overly heterogeneous, and consequently abandoned Burret's use of subgenera.
Distribution and status
Aiphanes duquei is endemic to an area of 200 square kilometres (77.2 sq mi) in the Cordillera Occidental in ColombiaColombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
. It is found in cloudy, lower montane
Montane
In biogeography, montane is the highland area located below the subalpine zone. Montane regions generally have cooler temperatures and often have higher rainfall than the adjacent lowland regions, and are frequently home to distinct communities of plants and animals.The term "montane" means "of the...
wet and rain forests, primarily in the Munchique and Farallones de Cali National Parks.
On the basis of its limited distribution, and the fact that its habitat is vulnerable to expanding agriculture and forest management practices, it is classified as a vulnerable species
Vulnerable species
On 30 January 2010, the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 9694 Vulnerable species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and sub-populations.-References:...
.