Astrocaryum urostachys

Astrocaryum urostachys
Burret

Original
reference:
Repert. Spec. Nov. Regni Veg. 35: 151 (1934)

Morphology:
Understorey or subcanopy palm. Stem short, or rarely to 10 m tall, and ca. 20 cm in diameter. Leaves spreading, usually with leaf axis twisting so that the distal part of the blade is held vertically, to 8 m long; pinnae to 130 on each side, regularly inserted in one plane, straight, grey or brownish white below. Inflorescences erect, to 150 cm long; branches to 250, to 15 cm long, each with one solitary ca. 15 mm long female flower at base. Male flowers 3-4 mm long. Fruits 6-9 cm long, more or less pear shaped, covered with brown to black bristles, distally with a ca. 1 cm long beak.

Distribution:
W part of the Amazon basin in Ecuador. Endemic. The species appears to have a preference for poorly drained or periodically inundated soils, but can also be found on terra firme.

Notes:
This species is sometimes treated as a variety of Astrocaryum murumuru Mart. If recognised as a separate species it can be regarded as a western segregate characterised by having clustering stems, bristly fruits, and female flowers with non-spiny calyx of approximately the same length as the corolla.
The only Ecuadorian representative of subgenus Monogynanthus.

Conservation
status: Lower risk/least concern
(Borchsenius & Skov 1999)

Common
names:
Awan
–
Achuar
(Descola 1989).

Awant
–
Shuar
(Mundo Shuar 1977).

Chuchana
–
Siona, Secoya
(H. Balslev #4344 and additional references).

Etsoje
–
Cofán
(Borman 1976 and additional references).

Huicungo
–

(Gonzalez et al. 1985 and additional references).

Muruna
–
Quichua
(Orr & Wrisley 1981).

Ramos
–
Quichua
(F. Skov #60127 ).

Ramus
–
Quichua
(Orr & Wrisley 1981 and additional references).

Si´rá
–
Secoya
(W.T. Vickers #61 ).

Sirá
–
Siona
(H. Balslev #4344 ).

Usahua
–
Quichua
(H. Balslev #4568 and additional references).