Chamaedorea linearis

Chamaedorea linearis
(Ruiz & Pav.) Mart.


Original
reference:

Hist. nat. palm. 2: 5 (1823)


Basionym:
Martinezia linearis Ruiz & Pav.


Morphology:
Understorey palm. Stem solitary, to 10 m tall, 3-8 cm in diameter, green and smooth. Leaf sheaths closed, forming a 30-90 cm long green crownshaft; blade 100-250 cm long, with 25-65 equal pinnae on each side, the central ones 30-85 cm long and 3-12 cm wide, with 4-6 subequal nerves. Inflorescences once branched, 15-100 cm long, with 3-4 swollen, cream coloured peduncular bracts, and 5-55 branches. Male inflorescences up to 18 per node, female ones solitary at the nodes. Fruits orange to red, 1.5-2.5 cm in diameter.



Distribution:
W of the Andes from N Colombia to S Ecuador, and E of the Andes from N Ecuador to Bolivia. In Ecuador it is frequent to common in the W lowlands and on the E and W slopes of the Andes up to 2400 m elevation, both in primary and disturbed forest.


Common
names:

Caña agria

Spanish

(Y. Mexia #7030).

Chontilla

Spanish

(H.B. Pedersen #97624).

Uses:

Sometimes planted as an ornamental palm
(H.B. Pedersen #97624).

Synonym
list
(22)

Specimen
list