Paurotis palm
Encyclopedia
Acoelorrhaphe is a genus of palms
, comprising the single species Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (Paurotis palm, also known as the Everglades palm, Madiera palm and Silver saw palmetto).
It is native to Central America
, southeastern Mexico
, the Caribbean
, the Bahamas
, and extreme southern Florida
where it grows in swamp
s and periodically flooded forests. It is a small to moderately tall palm that grows in clusters to 5–7 m (16.4–23 ), rarely 9 m (29.5 ft) tall, with slender stems less than 15 centimetres (5.9 in) diameter. The leaves are palmate
(fan-shaped), with segments joined to each other for about half of their length, and are 1 – wide, light-green above, and silver underneath. The leaf petiole is 1 – long, and has orange, curved, sharp teeth along the edges. The flowers are minute, inconspicuous and greenish, with 6 stamen
s. The trunk
is covered with fibrous matting. The fruit is pea
-sized, starting orange and turning to black at maturity.
The genus name is often cited as Acoelorraphe, a grammatical error to be corrected under the provisions of the ICBN. The genus name is a combination of three Greek
words meaning a- 'without', koilos 'hollow', and rhaphis 'needle', an allusion to the form of the fruit. The species is named after the American botanist Charles Henry Wright.
The Paurotis palm was formerly plentiful in Florida, but many plants were taken for the nursery
trade. The palm is now protected in the wild by Florida law. Trees propagated from seed or by sawing apart the base of a cluster are available in nurseries. It is hardy in most of the Florida peninsula, and salt-tolerant
.
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...
, comprising the single species Acoelorrhaphe wrightii (Paurotis palm, also known as the Everglades palm, Madiera palm and Silver saw palmetto).
It is native to Central America
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
, southeastern Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, the 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...
, the Bahamas
The Bahamas
The Bahamas , officially the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, is a nation consisting of 29 islands, 661 cays, and 2,387 islets . It is located in the Atlantic Ocean north of Cuba and Hispaniola , northwest of the Turks and Caicos Islands, and southeast of the United States...
, and extreme southern Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
where it grows in swamp
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
s and periodically flooded forests. It is a small to moderately tall palm that grows in clusters to 5–7 m (16.4–23 ), rarely 9 m (29.5 ft) tall, with slender stems less than 15 centimetres (5.9 in) diameter. The leaves are palmate
Leaf shape
In botany, leaf shape is characterised with the following terms :* Acicular : Slender and pointed, needle-like* Acuminate : Tapering to a long point...
(fan-shaped), with segments joined to each other for about half of their length, and are 1 – wide, light-green above, and silver underneath. The leaf petiole is 1 – long, and has orange, curved, sharp teeth along the edges. The flowers are minute, inconspicuous and greenish, with 6 stamen
Stamen
The stamen is the pollen producing reproductive organ of a flower...
s. The trunk
Trunk (botany)
In botany, trunk refers to the main wooden axis of a tree that supports the branches and is supported by and directly attached to the roots. The trunk is covered by the bark, which is an important diagnostic feature in tree identification, and which often differs markedly from the bottom of the...
is covered with fibrous matting. The fruit is pea
Pea
A pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the pod fruit Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas. Peapods are botanically a fruit, since they contain seeds developed from the ovary of a flower. However, peas are considered to be a vegetable in cooking...
-sized, starting orange and turning to black at maturity.
The genus name is often cited as Acoelorraphe, a grammatical error to be corrected under the provisions of the ICBN. The genus name is a combination of three 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;...
words meaning a- 'without', koilos 'hollow', and rhaphis 'needle', an allusion to the form of the fruit. The species is named after the American botanist Charles Henry Wright.
Cultivation and uses
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
trade. The palm is now protected in the wild by Florida law. Trees propagated from seed or by sawing apart the base of a cluster are available in nurseries. It is hardy in most of the Florida peninsula, and salt-tolerant
Halophyte
A halophyte is a plant that grows where it is affected by salinity in the root area or by salt spray, such as in saline semi-deserts, mangrove swamps, marshes and sloughs, and seashores. An example of a halophyte is the salt marsh grass Spartina alterniflora . Relatively few plant species are...
.