Attalea geraensis
Attalea (at-tahl-EH-ah) geraensis (JEHR-ehn-siss) | |||||||
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Nong Nooch Botanic Gardens, Thailand. Female inflorescence. Photo by Paul Craft. | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Brazil Northeast, Brazil Southeast, Brazil West-Central, and Paraguay. Tropical Dry Forest. Native dos Campos and Shrublands across Brazil. Tocantins, Bahia to São Paulo state.Description
Acaulescent palm (underground stem that rarely emerges even 1 meter above soil), caespitose (forming clumps), crown to 2.5 m in diameter. The leaves are basal, curved and bright, with rachis measuring 1.4 to 2.3 m long, with 75-79 pairs of pinnae or leaflets decreasing to the apex; the leaflets of the base measure 50 cm long by 7 mm wide, the middle 40 cm long by 2.5 c mwide. The inflorescence is protected by a sheath (a type of modified leaf) woody and deeply grooved in the longitudinal direction, about 30 cm long by 2.5 4 cm in diameter; composed of staminodes (stamen or modified, sterile tube) androgynous, i.e. they have both sexes on the same plant or on different individuals. The female flowers are arranged in two rows along the branches, measuring approximately 2 cm diameter when opened. The male flower measures 1 cm in length. (From the Portuguese) Editing by edric.
Culture
Soil; red or sandy soils that are acidic (pH between 4.0 - 5.3) that drain well; with natural fertility formed by the decomposition of leaves and grass. Plant is resistant to drought and frost up to -3 degrees C. Can be grown from sea level up to 950 m altitude. Cold Hardiness Zone 10a
Each fruit has up to 3 seeds. "Coconuts" can be buried directly in the ground 5 cm depth at a spacing of 3 x 3 m. In this case the seeds take up to two years to germinate. Another way is to remove the kernels from the fibrous husk and plant in sandy substrate. Germination occurs in 90 to 120 days, and the seedlings grow slowly reaching 30 cm At 18 months of age. (From the Portuguese)
Comments and Curiosities
A nice, garden-sized Attalea that will produce an underground trunk and a spreading crown of up to eight neat, compact, flat leaves with stiff leaflets. It inhabits the highland savannas and dry forest in the south of Brazil and generally grows on sandy soils. The large fruits contain up to six edible seeds and are somewhat slow to germinate, but growth is fast and plants start fruiting after only a few years with curious flower spikes springing from the ground. Attalea geraensis is one of the hardiest and most robust species in this large genus and will require little attention in a warm temperate, subtropical or dry tropical climate. (RPS.com)
External Links
References
Phonetic spelling of Latin names by edric.
Special thanks to Geoff Stein, (Palmbob) for his hundreds of photos.
Special thanks to Palmweb.org, Dr. John Dransfield, Dr. Bill Baker & team, for their volumes of information and photos.
Glossary of Palm Terms; Based on the glossary in Dransfield, J., N.W. Uhl, C.B. Asmussen-Lange, W.J. Baker, M.M. Harley & C.E. Lewis. 2008. Genera Palmarum - Evolution and Classification of the Palms. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. All images copyright of the artists and photographers (see images for credits).
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.