Attalea cuatrecasana
Attalea (at-tahl-EH-ah) cuatrecasana (koo-aht-rehk-ahs-AHN-ah) | |||||||
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Colombia. Photo by Michael Calonje, Collectors Seeds.com | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
W. Colombia, Pacific coast. Found alongside streams, in very wet lowland, often flooded rainforest.Description
Attalea cuatrecasana is an acaulescent palm (the stem is short and subterranean), growing 5 - 10 metres tall, it is topped by a crown of 6 - 10 leaves that can each be up to 10 metres tall. Leaf: Pinnate, 6 to 10 leaves with regularly arranged leaflets in the same plane., Trunk: Trunk is short and mostly subterranean., 10 to 16 inches in diameter (25 to 40 cm). Flower: Male flowers have 20-24 stamens. Flower stalk coming from among the leaves, pendulous when in fruit.. Fruit: brown when ripe. up to 5 inches long, 3.5 inches in diameter (13 x 9 cm). ellipsoid fruits contain 1 to 3 seeds. Editing by edric.
Culture
Prefers lightly filtered sun. Grows best in a moist, but well drained soil. Water Requirements: Regular to abundant Sun Requirements: Light shade. Cold Hardiness Zone: 10b
Comments and Curiosities
Uses: The plant is harvested from the wild for local use of its edible seed; Seed - raw or cooked. A similar taste and texture to the coconut (Cocos nucifera). The fruits are up to 14 cm. long by 10 cm in diameter, they are the third largest seeds in the palm family after the double coconut (Lodoicea maldivica) and the coconut (Cocos nucifera). (Michael Calonje)
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.