Chamaedorea schiedeana
Chamaedorea (kahm-eh-doh-REH-ah) schiedeana (skeh-deh-AHN-ah) | |||||||
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Contents
Habitat and Distribution
Chamaedorea schiedeana is found in Mexico Central, Mexico Gulf, Mexico Southwest. Dense, wet forest on the Atlantic slope; alt. 900 to 1,600 m elevation; often on limestone.Description
Habit: solitary, slender, erect, 3-4 m tall. Stem: 2.5-3 cm diam., smooth, green, ringed, internodes 5-10 cm long. Leaves: 3-5, erect-spreading, pinnate; sheath to 20 cm long, tubular, obliquely open apically and there with a short ligule on either side, green but often persistent and then becoming brown, longitudinally striate-nerved; petiole 10-35 cm long, slightly grooved and green above, rounded and light green below; rachis to 60-70 cm long, angled and green above, rounded below with a light green band extending onto sheath; pinnae 10-14 on each side of rachis, lower-middle ones largest, these to 30 x 3-4 cm, narrowed basally, basal ones shorter and ± reflexed, upper ones shorter and apical pair sometimes confluent and wider, lanceolate to broadly or oblong-Ianceolate, alternate or sub-opposite, thin papery, sigmoid, drooping and acuminate apically, a prominent midrib and 2-3 conspicuous primary nerves on each side of this, secondaries inconspicuous. Inflorescences: infrafoliar, erect or spreading, solitary; peduncles 20-60 cm long, slender, 0.5-1 cm wide at base and ± flattened, 5 mm in diam. at apex and rounded, greenish in flower, red-orange in fruit; bracts 6-7, tubular, acuminate, bifid, brown in flower, fibrous, longitudinally striate-nerved, uppermost largest, this to 23 cm long and exceeding peduncle and extending onto rachis; rachises 5-25 cm long, light green in flower, red-orange in fruit. Staminate with 20-45 rachillae, these 15-20 cm long, 2 mm in diam., ± drooping, green in flower. Pistillate with 15-20 rachillae, these 15-25 cm long, 2.5 mm in diam., ± stiff, ± parallel, greenish yellow or yellowish in flower, red-orange in fruit. Flowers: Staminate in remote or ± dense spirals, 3 x 2.5-3 mm, ± globose, ± flattened apically, yellow, aromatic, slightly sunken in superficial and elliptic depressions to 1.5 mm long; calyx 1 x 2 mm, shallowly lobed, light green ageing to yellowish, brown-margined, sepals connate in basal 2/3 rounded apically, slightly membranous, lightly nerved on inside; petals 2-3 x 1.5-2.5 mm, valvate, connate apically and basally and apically adnate to pistillode and corolla opening by lateral slits, obovate, slightly thickened and fleshy, acute, nerved on inside; stamens 2-2.5 mm high, filaments 1.5-2 mm long, pale or greenish, ± thickened at base, anthers 1.5 mm long, linear-oblong, erect, light yellow; pistillode 2.5 mm high, columnar, truncate apically, light green. Pistillate in remote spirals, 3 x 3 mm, globose, yellow, sunken in superficial and elliptic depressions 1.5-2 mm long; calyx 1 x 2.5 mm, deeply lobed, greenish yellow ageing to yellow, sepals connate in basal 1/3, rounded to acute apically, thin, nerved on inside; petals 2-3 x 2.5-3.5 mm, imbricate nearly to apex, widely oblong or orbicular, concave, slightly thickened and fleshy, erect and acute apically; staminodes 3-6, small, separated, slightly triangular, white; pistil 2-2.5 x 2 mm, depressed-globose, green, stigma lobes sessile, small, angled, slightly elevated, sometimes recurved, not exceeding petals. Fruits: 6-9 mm in diam., globose, black, epicarp thin, slightly transparent, mesocarp slightly fleshy, mucilaginous, green, endocarp membranous, nerved; seeds 4.5-6.5 mm in diam., globose. (Hodel, D.R. 1992)/Palmweb.
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Schiede discovered C. schiedeana in Xalapa, Veracruz, Mexico in the late 1820s and sent material to Martius (1830) who described and named it. Guillaumin (1923b) reported that it was cultivated in Europe as early as 1833 and was at the Musee de Paris, France in 1837. Today, it is found in collections and gardens in California where it is often referred to erroneously as C. oblongata or C. concolor (= C. pinnatifrons). Staminate flowers with apically free and spreading petals distinguish C. oblongata while yellow-orange or red fruits distinguish pinnatifrons. Also, C. oblongata and C. pinnatifrons have fewer pinnae, no more than eight on each side ofthe rachis, while C. schiedeana has 10-13 pinnae per side. Burret (1933a) expressed doubt about some of the cited accounts and illustrations in the literature that have been referred to C. schiedeana including Otto and Dietrich (1833), Link (1834), Zuccarini (1834), and Martius (1839, 1845, 1849). Chamaedorea schiedeana is similar in habit to and can be utilized in the same manner as C. oblongata. It is slightly more rangy with somewhat longer leaves than this latter species, though, and so some discretion is necessary when placing it in the garden or landscape. It is susceptible to infestations of mites but frequent spraying of the undersides of the leaves with a strong stream of water should control these pests. (Hodel, D.R. 1992)/Palmweb. |
Culture
Requirements: Full shade when young, filtered light to partial shade when mature. Consistently moist soil, well drained position. Often planted in groupings. Warm, sheltered and moist.
Comments and Curiosities
Chamaedorea are dioecious, male, and female flowers, on separate plants.
Etymology: Honors German doctor Wilhelm Schiede, collector of the type.
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).
Hodel, D.R.1992. Chamaedorea Palms, The Species and Their Cultivation. The International Palm Society.
Many Special Thanks to Ed Vaile for his long hours of tireless editing and numerous contributions.