Arecaceae

Chelyocarpus Dammer.

Kingdom: Plantae Rank: Genus Parent: Arecaceae Status: Valid

Vegetative Morphology

Habit: Palms solitary to 8 m tall, rarely growing in clusters.

Leaves: Leaves palmate to 1 m diameter, with many segments, each segment with two lobes, lightly glaucous below.

Reproductive Morphology

Inflorescence: The inflorescence bract (spathe) covered with a light-colored woolly pubescence on the exterior.

Fruit: Fruit brown when mature.

Infructescence: Infructescence 24 cm.

Seeds: Seed one per fruit.

Other

Uses: Natives in Colombia burn, cook, and filter the stems to extract vegetable salt that is mixed with “ambil de tobacco.”

Distribution: Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Brazil.