Oil palms
| Oil palms | ||||||||||||
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Oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis ), illustration |
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| Elaeis | ||||||||||||
| Jacq. |
The oil palms ( Elaeis ) are a genus of the palm family (Arecaceae). It consists of only two species, of which the oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) is of economic importance as an oil plant.
features
The oil palms are medium to large diocesan palms. The always single trunk is short and creeping or high, the surface is rough or covered with the leaf bases of fallen leaves. The leaves are pinnate and regularly divided. The petiole has fiber spines on the edge. The leaflets are arranged regularly or in groups and are in one or more levels.
The inflorescences are among the leaves and barely enough of vagina of their support sheet produced. The inflorescence is simply branched and has a short peduncle. The numerous side branches stand along a rather short rachis. The male flowers have three free sepals , three free petals and six stamens with overgrown stamens and a stunted ovary . The female flowers have three free, overlapping sepals and three similar petals, six staminodes that form a low ring, and three fused carpels .
The fruit cluster is crowded and stands on a short stalk. The fruits are medium-sized and orange, red or black in color. The endocarp is bony and has three apical germ pores. The leaves of the seedlings are narrow and undivided.
distribution
The oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) is native to West Africa, but is planted worldwide in the tropics. The second species, Elaeis oleifera, is native to tropical America.
Systematics
The genus Elaeis Jacq. is placed within the subfamily Arecoideae in the tribe Cocoeae. They are seen as an isolated and possibly ancient clan within the tribe. It consists of two types:
- Oil palm ( Elaeis guineensis Jacq. ): It is native to the Gambia to Mozambique.
- Elaeis oleifera (Kunth) Cortés : It occurs from Honduras to Brazil.
supporting documents
- Elaeis ( Memento from February 17th, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) on Palms of Ecuador ( Memento from September 29, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Rafaël Govaerts (Ed.): Elaeis. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved August 6, 2018.