Bactris setulosa
H.Karst.
Original
reference:
Linnaea 28: 408 (1856)
Morphology:
Understorey palm. Stems clustered, 5-10 m tall and 10-15 cm in diameter, densely armed with black spines. Leaves 1.5-3 m long; pinnae 30-70 on each side, inserted in groups and spreading in different planes, the central ones 60-100 cm long and 5-9 cm wide, usually with a dense cover of short bristles. Inflorescence 30-60 cm long; branches 30-60, to 30 cm long. Female flowers scattered along the branches. Fruit red, more or less globose, 15-20 mm in diameter; fruiting perianth with a very small calyx and a much longer, cupular corolla; staminodial ring absent.
Distribution:
The Andean region of Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador, as well as Surinam and Trinidad.
In W Ecuador the species is common in tropical moist forest and premontane wet forest up to 1000 m altitude (rarely to 1700 m), in E Ecuador it occurs in premontane wet forest at 1300-1700 m elevation, the highest altitude recorded for any Bactris species.
Notes:
Plants from the two sides of the Andes have been thought to represent separate species with different ecological preference, but the only morphological difference noted is that plants from the E slopes have more or less glabrous inflorescence branches, whereas plants from the W slopes have the whole inflorescence more or less brown tomentose.
Common
names:
Chacara
–
Spanish
(H.B. Pedersen #97605).
Chacarrá
–
Spanish
(Lindskoog & Lindskoog 1964).
Chonta
–
Spanish
(H. Balslev #4288).
Chonta chica
–
Spanish
(W. Palacios #5089).
Chontila
–
Spanish
(A. Barfod #60110).
Pica-no-chi
–
Chachi
(A. Barfod #60110).
Picanuchi
–
Chachi
(Lindskoog & Lindskoog 1964).
Piyaichi
–
Chachi
(Lindskoog & Lindskoog 1964).
Quchiraba
–
(B. Bergmann #97803).
Uses:
A drink is prepared from the fruits
(C.H. Dodson #5750).
Stems are used for house construction; when placed in the ground they will last up to 12 years, in cement even longer; one stem is sold for 30 sucres
(H. Balslev #4288).
The stem is used to make marimbas. Also leaves are used to make a musical instrument
(Acosta-Solís 1971).
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