Aiphanes eggersii

Aiphanes eggersii
Burret


Original
reference:

Notizbl. Bot. Gart. Berlin-Dahlem 11: 563 (1932)

Type:
Eggers 15480 – Ecuador

Morphology:
Understorey palm. Stems clustered, to 10 m tall and 8 cm in diameter. Leaf blade 120-220 cm long; pinnae 50-65 on each side, narrowly wedge shaped, inserted in groups of 4-14 and spreading in different planes, the central ones 20-45 cm long and 5-10 cm wide, often abrubtly widening and irregularly toothed at apex. Inflorescence 0.7-1.5 m long, with 35-75 branches. Flowers yellow. Fruits ca. 2 cm in diameter, bright red.



Distribution:
Endemic to the dry forest zone in W Ecuador and adjacent NW Peru.

Notes:
Closely related to Aiphanes aculeata, but different in its more numerous, narrower pinnae, and clustered habit.



Conservation
status:
Vulnerable


IUCN criteria:
A1c, B1, B2c

(
Borchsenius & Skov 1999)

Common
names:

Chonta ruro

Spanish

(D.M. Pearsall #1070).

Corozo

Spanish

(H. Balslev #62012 and additional references).

Uses:

The mesocarp and the endosperm are edible; the endosperm has a taste like coconut
(H.B. Pedersen #104002).

The mesocarp and the endosperm is eaten by local people. The mesocarp may be eaten without preparation. The endocarp is cracked to extract the endosperm which has the taste of a coconut.
(H. Balslev #62012).


Specimen
list