Aiphanes minima
Encyclopedia
Aiphanes minima is a spiny
palm
tree which is native to the insular Caribbean
from Hispaniola
to Grenada
, and widely cultivated elsewhere. Usually 5–8 m (16.4–26.2 ft) tall, it sometimes grows as an understorey tree and only 2 m (6.6 ft) in height.
palm with pinnate
ly compound leaves—rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern. Stems are usually 5 metre tall, though occasionally as little as 2 m (6.6 ft) tall and 6 to 20 cm (2.4 to 7.9 in) in diameter. Younger stems are covered with rings of black spines, but on older stems these are often lost. Individuals bear 10–20 leaves which are pinnately compound, bearing 18 to 34 pairs of leaflets along a central rachis
that is 130 centimetre long. The leaflets are borne in a single plane, and are usually linear in shape, but sometimes widen towards their apex, especially in Puerto Rico
. The lower surface of the leaf can be covered with spines up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long or can be unarmed; the upper surface has a row of spines about 1 cm (0.393700787401575 in) long along the midrib. The rachis can be unarmed but is often covered with black spines up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long. The petiole
, which connects the rachis with the stem, is 15 centimetre long and covered with black spines up to 8 cm (3 in) long.
has been placed in the subfamily
Arecoideae, the tribe
Cocoseae and the subtribe Bactridinae, together with Desmoncus
, Bactris
, Acrocomia
and Astrocaryum
.
In his 1932 revision of the genus, German botanist Max Burret
divided Aiphanes into two subgenera, and placed A. minima in the subgenus Macroanthera. In their 1996 monograph, Finn Borchsenius and Rodrigo Bernal
concluded that Macroanthera would be a viable taxon only if it were to be reduced to three species—A. aculeata, A eggersii
and A. minima. However, this would leave the other subgenus, Brachyanthera, as an overly broad and heterogeneous entity, and they decided to abandon Burrets use of subgenera.
Borchsenius and Bernal placed all Caribbean Aiphanes (except those in Trinidad and Tobago
) in a single species, A. minima, but this is not universally accepted. American botanist George Proctor disagreed with this, stating that he believed that there were several species present, and maintained that populations in Puerto Rico
and the Dominican Republic
should be maintained in a separate species, A. acanthophylla. In Dominica
, palm systematist Scott Zona and colleagues documented the presence of two distinct populations of Aiphanes palms on the island—one which was larger and spinier, and the other that was smaller, more slender, and less spiny. This led them to speculate that this may represent a second species of Aiphanes.
. Plumier made three trips to the West Indies between 1689 and 1695, and among his descriptions were two palm species that he named Palma dactylifera, aculeata, fructu corallino, major and Palma dactylifera, aculeata, fructu corallino, minor, using
pre-Linnean
names. Both of these are now considered to belong to Aiphanes minima. In 1763, Dutch botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin
described the same species, using the name Palma Grigri Martinicensibus.
The oldest description of the species that is considered valid is Joseph Gaertner
's description of Bactris
minima, which he published in 1791 in De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum
. This name, which was based on a single fruit of unknown origins, is the basis for the modern name of the species.
The name Aiphanes was coined a decade later by German botanist Carl Ludwig Willdenow
in 1801.
, Puerto Rico
, Dominica
, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
, Saint Lucia
, Martinique
, Barbados
and Grenada
and is widely cultivated elsewhere. It is the northernmost member of the genus, and the only species of Aiphanes
that is absent from the mainland of South America
.
The flowers have a sweet scent, and are believed to be pollinated by bees. The fruit, flowers and seeds of Aiphanes minima are consumed by the vulnerable
St. Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii) and is also considered a potentially important food species for the critically endangered
Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata).
of the seeds is edible, and is similar in taste to that of a coconut
.
Thorns, 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...
palm
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...
tree which is native to the insular Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
from Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
to Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
, and widely cultivated elsewhere. Usually 5–8 m (16.4–26.2 ft) tall, it sometimes grows as an understorey tree and only 2 m (6.6 ft) in height.
Description
Aiphanes minima is a single-stemmed, spinyThorns, 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...
palm with pinnate
Pinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly compound leaves—rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern. Stems are usually 5 metre tall, though occasionally as little as 2 m (6.6 ft) tall and 6 to 20 cm (2.4 to 7.9 in) in diameter. Younger stems are covered with rings of black spines, but on older stems these are often lost. Individuals bear 10–20 leaves which are pinnately compound, bearing 18 to 34 pairs of leaflets along a central 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...
that is 130 centimetre long. The leaflets are borne in a single plane, and are usually linear in shape, but sometimes widen towards their apex, especially in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. The lower surface of the leaf can be covered with spines up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long or can be unarmed; the upper surface has a row of spines about 1 cm (0.393700787401575 in) long along the midrib. The rachis can be unarmed but is often covered with black spines up to 6 cm (2.4 in) long. The 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...
, which connects the rachis with the stem, is 15 centimetre long and covered with black spines up to 8 cm (3 in) long.
Taxonomy
AiphanesAiphanes
Aiphanes is a genus of spiny palms which is native to tropical regions of South and Central America and the Caribbean. There are about 26 species in the genus, ranging in size from understorey shrubs with subterranean stems to subcanopy trees as much as tall...
has been placed in the subfamily
Family (biology)
In biological classification, family is* a taxonomic rank. Other well-known ranks are life, domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, genus, and species, with family fitting between order and genus. As for the other well-known ranks, there is the option of an immediately lower rank, indicated by the...
Arecoideae, the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Cocoseae and the subtribe Bactridinae, together with Desmoncus
Desmoncus
Desmoncus is a genus of spiny palms native to the Neotropics. The genus extends from Mexico in the north to Brazil and Bolivia in the south, with two species, D. orthacanthos and D...
, Bactris
Bactris
Bactris is a genus of about 240 species in the palm family, Arecaceae, native to Central and South America, and the Caribbean. They are trees growing to 4-20 m tall. The leaves are up to 5 m long, and pinnate with numerous leaflets...
, Acrocomia
Acrocomia
Acrocomia aculeata is a species of palm native to tropical regions of the Americas, from southern Mexico and the Caribbean south to Paraguay and northern Argentina. Common names include Grugru Palm, Macaúba Palm, Coyol Palm, and Macaw Palm; synonyms include A. lasiospatha, A. sclerocarpa, A. totai,...
and Astrocaryum
Astrocaryum
Astrocaryum is a genus of about 36 to 40 species of palms native to Central and South America and Trinidad.-Description:Astrocaryum is a genus of spiny palms with pinnately compound leaves–rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern. Some...
.
In his 1932 revision of the genus, German botanist Max Burret
Max 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...
divided Aiphanes into two subgenera, and placed A. minima in the subgenus Macroanthera. In their 1996 monograph, Finn Borchsenius and Rodrigo Bernal
Rodrigo Bernal
Rodrigo Bernal González is a Colombian botanist who specialises in the palm family. Bernal is a faculty member at the Institute of Natural Sciences, National University of Colombia. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Aarhus in 1996.Bernal has published over sixty works on palm...
concluded that Macroanthera would be a viable taxon only if it were to be reduced to three species—A. aculeata, A eggersii
Aiphanes eggersii
Aiphanes eggersii, known locally as Corozo, is a species of spiney, pinnately leaved palm which is endemic to the coastal plain of Ecuador.-Description:...
and A. minima. However, this would leave the other subgenus, Brachyanthera, as an overly broad and heterogeneous entity, and they decided to abandon Burrets use of subgenera.
Borchsenius and Bernal placed all Caribbean Aiphanes (except those in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
) in a single species, A. minima, but this is not universally accepted. American botanist George Proctor disagreed with this, stating that he believed that there were several species present, and maintained that populations in Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
and the Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
should be maintained in a separate species, A. acanthophylla. In Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, palm systematist Scott Zona and colleagues documented the presence of two distinct populations of Aiphanes palms on the island—one which was larger and spinier, and the other that was smaller, more slender, and less spiny. This led them to speculate that this may represent a second species of Aiphanes.
History
The first botanical description of the species was made by French botanist Charles PlumierCharles Plumier
Charles Plumier was a French botanist, after whom the Frangipani genus Plumeria is named. Plumier is considered one of the most important of the botanical explorers of his time...
. Plumier made three trips to the West Indies between 1689 and 1695, and among his descriptions were two palm species that he named Palma dactylifera, aculeata, fructu corallino, major and Palma dactylifera, aculeata, fructu corallino, minor, using
pre-Linnean
Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts:# the particular form of biological classification set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturæ and subsequent works...
names. Both of these are now considered to belong to Aiphanes minima. In 1763, Dutch botanist Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin
Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin
Nikolaus Joseph Freiherr von Jacquin or Baron Nikolaus von Jacquin. was a scientist who studied medicine, chemistry and botany....
described the same species, using the name Palma Grigri Martinicensibus.
The oldest description of the species that is considered valid is Joseph Gaertner
Joseph Gaertner
Joseph Gaertner was a German botanist, best known for his work on seeds, De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum ....
's description of Bactris
Bactris
Bactris is a genus of about 240 species in the palm family, Arecaceae, native to Central and South America, and the Caribbean. They are trees growing to 4-20 m tall. The leaves are up to 5 m long, and pinnate with numerous leaflets...
minima, which he published in 1791 in De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum
De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum
De Fructibus et Seminibus Plantarum, also known by its standard botanical abbreviation Fruct. Sem. Pl., is a three-volume botanic treatise by Joseph Gaertner. The first volume was published in December 1788. The second volume was published in four parts, in 1790, 1791, 1791 and 1792 respectively...
. This name, which was based on a single fruit of unknown origins, is the basis for the modern name of the species.
The name Aiphanes was coined a decade later 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.
Distribution
Aiphanes minima is native to the Dominican RepublicDominican Republic
The Dominican Republic is a nation on the island of La Hispaniola, part of the Greater Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean region. The western third of the island is occupied by the nation of Haiti, making Hispaniola one of two Caribbean islands that are shared by two countries...
, Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
, Dominica
Dominica
Dominica , officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island nation in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea, south-southeast of Guadeloupe and northwest of Martinique. Its size is and the highest point in the country is Morne Diablotins, which has an elevation of . The Commonwealth...
, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is an island country in the Lesser Antilles chain, namely in the southern portion of the Windward Islands, which lie at the southern end of the eastern border of the Caribbean Sea where the latter meets the Atlantic Ocean....
, Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country in the eastern Caribbean Sea on the boundary with the Atlantic Ocean. Part of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent, northwest of Barbados and south of Martinique. It covers a land area of 620 km2 and has an...
, Martinique
Martinique
Martinique is an island in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of . Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados...
, Barbados
Barbados
Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles. It is in length and as much as in width, amounting to . It is situated in the western area of the North Atlantic and 100 kilometres east of the Windward Islands and the Caribbean Sea; therein, it is about east of the islands of Saint...
and Grenada
Grenada
Grenada is an island country and Commonwealth Realm consisting of the island of Grenada and six smaller islands at the southern end of the Grenadines in the southeastern Caribbean Sea...
and is widely cultivated elsewhere. It is the northernmost member of the genus, and the only species of Aiphanes
Aiphanes
Aiphanes is a genus of spiny palms which is native to tropical regions of South and Central America and the Caribbean. There are about 26 species in the genus, ranging in size from understorey shrubs with subterranean stems to subcanopy trees as much as tall...
that is absent from the mainland of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
.
Habitat and ecology
In the northern portion of its range, Aiphanes minima grows on limestone hills and is dependent on gaps in the forest canopy to reach maturity. In the southern part it is a tree of the subcanopy or forest understorey, as it does in Turner's Hall Woods in Barbados.The flowers have a sweet scent, and are believed to be pollinated by bees. The fruit, flowers and seeds of Aiphanes minima are consumed by the vulnerable
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:...
St. Vincent Amazon (Amazona guildingii) and is also considered a potentially important food species for the critically endangered
Critically endangered
Version 2010.3 of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species identified 3744 Critically Endangered species, subspecies and varieties, stocks and subpopulations.Critically Endangered by kingdom:*1993 Animalia*2 Fungi*1745 Plantae*4 Protista-References:...
Puerto Rican Amazon (Amazona vittata).
Uses
Aiphanes minima is widely planted as an ornamental. The endospermEndosperm
Endosperm is the tissue produced inside the seeds of most flowering plants around the time of fertilization. It surrounds the embryo and provides nutrition in the form of starch, though it can also contain oils and protein. This makes endosperm an important source of nutrition in human diet...
of the seeds is edible, and is similar in taste to that of a coconut
Coconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
.