Beccariophoenix alfredii
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Beccariophoenix alfredii |
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| Rakotoarin. , Ranariv. & J.Dransf. |
Beccariophoenix alfredii is a species of the palm family (Arecaceae) that wasfirst described in 2007and onlyoccursin Madagascar . It belongs to the genus Beccariophoenix . Beccariophoenix alfredii is very similar in appearance to the coconut palm; although it tolerates the cold somewhat, it looks like a coconut palm doppelganger in cooler climates.
description
Beccariophoenix alfredii reaches up to 15 m in height with a trunk up to 30 cm in diameter. Except for the ring-shaped leaf scars, the trunk is smooth and not reinforced. It bears 30 to 36 pinnate leaves that are up to 4.5 m long and have about 120 pairs of leaflets. The leaflets at the base of the leaf are the smallest at 47 cm long and 1 cm wide, in the middle of the leaf they reach 112 cm long and 4 cm wide, and at the tip of the leaf 65 cm long and 1.8 cm wide. While in young specimens the dead leaves stick to the trunk for a while, they quickly peel off in older specimens.
The inflorescence stands individually between the leaves. It is covered by a leathery cover sheet 90 cm long , which tears open lengthways and falls off; the fallen, drying up front leaves roll up. The inflorescence stalk is quite short with 8 to 13 cm in length, the inflorescence axis is 8 to 9 cm long and carries 30 to 50 year old partial inflorescences . The partial inflorescences are not covered with flowers in the lower quarter , in the following quarter with groups of three of a female and a male flower, from the middle with groups of two purely male flowers and in the last quarter with individual male flowers. The fruits are blackish purple when ripe, with a size of 1.6 × 2.4 cm. They contain a single, flattened-round seed.
Location and distribution
Beccariophoenix alfredii occurs in the highlands of Madagascar at about 20 degrees south. The palm can be found at an altitude of 1050 m and grows along sandy river beds. The annual rainfall is less than 1500 mm, the dry season lasts about five months. The surrounding vegetation is mainly determined by various grasses, in the area itself there is occasional fire. Beccariophoenix alfredii forms gallery forests along small watercourses and is the dominant plant species within these forests .
Systematics and botanical history
The species was first mentioned in 2002 when Alfred Razafindratsira saw a picture of a Beccariophoenix species taken in the Andrembesoa area . The previously known sites of Beccariophoenix on the east coast of Madagascar are far away and are ecologically completely different. In May 2004 the existence of this population was confirmed on an expedition to the highlands of Madagascar.
This species differs from Beccariophoenix madagascariensis by the flattened instead of egg-shaped fruit, by the green inflorescence between the leaves (instead of below), an inflorescence stalk no longer than 13 cm (in contrast to the length of up to 120 cm), a 3–5 mm thick leathery spathe, which rolls up after it falls off (in contrast to a woody spathe 30–40 mm thick, which does not deform when it falls off) and 15 stamens (in contrast to 18-21). Because of these differences, Beccariophoenix alfredii was classified as a new species. The species Beccariophoenix alfredii is recognized by Kew.
cultivation
Because of its general hardiness, Beccariophoenix alfredii is a good candidate for planting in central and southern Florida and California , but also in areas such as Sydney, Australia, southern Spain , Portugal and northern New Zealand . It grows best in sandy-loamy soil, but it is suitable for many other substrates as well. Compared to Beccariophoenix alfredii , it grows quickly and is quite tolerant of the cold.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e M. Rakotoarinivo, T. Ranarivelo and J. Dransfield: A New Species of Beccariophoenix from the High Plateau of Madagascar. Palms, 51, 2, pp. 63–75, 2007 palms.org (English: PDF; 890 kB).
- ↑ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Beccariophoenix alfredii. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew .
Web links
- Beccariophoenix alfredii inthe IUCN 2013 Red List of Threatened Species . Posted by: Rakotoarinivo, M. & Dransfield, J., 2010. Retrieved December 24, 2013.