Geonoma maxima

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Geonoma (geo-NO-mah)
maxima (MAX-ih-mah)
Guy geonoma maxima fruits mataroni.jpg
Mataroni, French Guiana. Photo-tipalm.fr
Scientific Classification
Genus: Geonoma (geo-NO-mah)
Species:
maxima (MAX-ih-mah)
Synonyms
None set.
Native Continent
America
America.gif
Morphology
Habit: Solitary & clustering.
Leaf type: Undivided & irregularly pinnate.
Culture
Survivability index
Common names
None.

Habitat and Distribution

Bolivia, Brazil North, Colombia, Ecuador,
Mataroni, French Guiana. Photo-tipalm.fr
French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.

Description

Palm 3.2 (1.0-9.0) m tall; stems 2.9 (1.0-7.0) m tall, 1.2 (0.5-2.3) cm in diameter, solitary or clustering, canelike; internodes 2.4 (0.5-8.7) cm long, yellowish and smooth. Leaves 9 (4-19) per stem, undivided or irregularly pinnate, if regularly pinnate the pinnae with 1 main vein only (rarely with several lateral veins), not plicate or plicate, bases of blades running diagonally into the rachis; sheaths 12.6 (4.0-30.0) cm long; petioles 34.6 (1.0-100.0) cm long, drying green or yellowish; rachis 44.0 (7.3-120.0) cm long, 3.6 (1.4-7.1) mm in diameter; veins raised and rectangular in cross-section adaxially; pinnae 8 (1-31) per side of rachis; basal pinna 43.2 (8.2-132.0) cm long, 3.9 (0.1-34.0) cm wide, forming an angle of 47 (7-87)° with the rachis; apical pinna 32.8 (8.5-86.0) cm long, 9.6 (0.2-42.5) cm wide, forming an angle of 23 (7-42)° with the rachis. Inflorescences branched 1-3 orders; prophylls and peduncular bracts not ribbed with elongate, unbranched fibers, flattened, deciduous or persistent; prophylls 10.6 (3.7-21.8) cm long, not short and asymmetrically apiculate, the surfaces not ridged, without unequally wide ridges; peduncular bracts 8.7 (4.7-13.0) cm long, well-developed, inserted 0.6 (0.2-3.0) cm above the prophyll; peduncles 8.2 (3.2-19.5) cm long, 4.9 (1.5-10.0) mm in diameter; rachillae 19 (4-50), 11.4 (4.8-24.3) cm long, 2.7 (0.7-6.0) mm in diameter, the surfaces without spiky, fibrous projections or ridges, drying brown or yellow-brown, without short, transverse ridges, not filiform and not narrowed between the flower pits; flower pits spirally arranged, glabrous internally; proximal lips with a central notch before anthesis, often the two sides of the notch overlapping, not recurved after anthesis, not hood-shaped; proximal and distal lips drying the same color as the rachillae, not joined to form a raised cupule, the proximal lip margins overlapping the distal lip margins; distal lips well-developed; staminate and pistillate petals not emergent, not valvate throughout; staminate flowers deciduous after anthesis; stamens 6; thecae diverging at anthesis, inserted directly onto the apiculate filament apices; anthers not short and curled at anthesis, usually elongate, spiraled and twisted or sometimes remaining straight; nonfertilized pistillate flowers deciduous after anthesis; staminodial tubes lobed at the apex, the lobes spreading at anthesis, acuminate, those of non-fertilized pistillate flowers not projecting and persistent after anthesis; fruits 11.8 (6.9-18.2) mm long, 9.0 (5.5-13.0) mm in diameter, apices not conical, the surfaces not splitting at maturity, without fibers emerging, not bumpy, not apiculate; locular epidermis without operculum, smooth, without pores. (Henderson, A.J. 2011)/Palmweb. Editing by edric.

Culture

Cold hardiness Zone: 10b

Comments and Curiosities

Uses: the Indigenous use it for thatch, fence posts, utensils & tools, Hunting and fishing, Ritual rites,Personal adornment, and also the fruit is eaten. (Henderson, A.J. 2011)/Palmweb.



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).

Henderson, A.J. 2011. A revision of Geonoma. Magnolia Press.


Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.

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