Chamaedorea pinnatifrons

Chamaedorea pinnatifrons
(Jacq.) Oerst.

Original
reference:
Vidensk. Meddel. Dansk Naturhist. Foren. Kjøbenhavn 1858: 14 (1858)

Basionym:
Borassus pinnatifrons Jacq.

Morphology:
Understorey palm. Stem solitary, to 4 m tall and 2.5 cm in diameter, green. Leaf sheath closed for at least 4/5 of its length; blade pinnately divided or rarely entire, 25-75 cm long and 15-30 cm wide; pinnae 7-15 on each side, usually conspicuously sigmoid. Inflorescences infrafoliar, one per node, to 80 cm long, once branched; male inflorescences with 3-25 pendulous branches; female inflorescences with 2-15, horizontal to erect branches, orange in fruit. Male flowers with petals united at apex. Fruits black, ca. 9 x 11 mm.

Distribution:
Colombia and Venezuela to Bolivia and Brazil, at up to 2400 m elevation. In Ecuador it is common in the E lowlands and on the E and W Andean slopes, in primary as well as in secondary forest, often on steep slopes.

Notes:
The species is variable, especially in leaf size, number and size of pinnae, and size and ramification of the inflorescence. It is defined by having male flowers with petals fused at their apex, but variation in vegetative characters within the species is not fully understood. Simple-leaved forms are sometimes found occurring together with the common, pinnate-leaved form, e.g., around Plan de Milagro in the Morona-Santiago province.

Common
names:
Chontilla
–
Spanish
(H. Balslev #4352 ).

Chontilla blanca
–
Spanish
(H. Balslev #4352 ).

Chorita de monte
–
Spanish
(J. Nowak #55 ).

Molimillo
–
Spanish
(H.B. Pedersen #97623 ).

Ñucua-éné
–
Siona
(H. Balslev #4352 ).

Puivocho´si
–
Cofán
(C. Ceron #309 ).

Uses:

Fruits are eaten by birds
(C. Ceron #309 ).

The stem with stilt roots is used as a whisk
(H.B. Pedersen #97623 and additional references).

Synonym
list
(41)

Specimen
list