Astrocaryum chambira

Astrocaryum chambira
Burret


Original
reference:

Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 35: 122 (1934)


Morphology:
Canopy palm. Stem solitary, to 30 m tall and 25-40 cm in diameter, armed with long black spines. Leaves forming a funnel shaped crown, erect and arching, neatly abscising, to 8 m long; pinnae to 150 on each side, evenly spaced or grouped, spreading in different planes, the central ones to 125 cm long and 5 cm wide. Inflorescences erect, purple at first, later brownish yellow, 200-350 cm long; branches ca. 200, the proximal 35-50 cm long, each with 2-3 female flowers on the basal part. Male flowers 4-6 mm long. Female flowers 12-22 mm long, including the stigmas. Fruits obovoid, greyish green, turning yellow to orange at maturity, with a loosely attached, greyish white to brown indument, 6-8 cm long.



Distribution:
W part of the Amazon region in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, usually on terra firme.
Common in Ecuador.


Common
names:

Be-to

Siona

(H. Balslev #4812).

Chambira

Spanish, Quichua

(Balslev & Barfod 1987 and additional references).

Kumái

Shuar

(Mundo Shuar 1977).

Kumai

Achuar

(Mundo Shuar 1977).

Matá

Shuar

(Mundo Shuar 1977).

Mate

Achuar

(Descola 1989).

Nyükwa

Siona

(W.T. Vickers #141).

Onempa

Waorani upriver dialect, referring to juvenile plants

(E.W. Davis #978).

Oneongkagi

Waorani upriver dialect, referring to seedling plants

(E.W. Davis #978).

Opongengkawe

Waorani upriver dialect

(E.W. Davis #978).

Tiinfa” cho

Cofán

(Pinkley 1973).

Tuinfa

Cofán

(Borman 1976 and additional references).

Iika

Waorani – upriver dialect

(E.W. Davis #978).

Uses:

Brooms are made from mid ribs of young pinnae
(H. Balslev #4812).

Fibres extracted from spear leaf-pinnae are used to make hammocks, carrrying bags, fishing nets, twine, combs and necklaces
(E.W. Davis #978 and additional references).

Fibres from 12-20 mature palms are required to make a single hammock
(E.W. Davis #978).

The endosperm is edible
(H. Balslev #4812).

The fruits are edible
(Mundo Shuar 1977).


Specimen
list