Stilt palms

Stilt palms
	Socratea exorrhiza
Systematics
Class :	Bedecktsamer (Magnoliopsida)
	Monocots
	Commelinids
Order :	Palm- like arecales
Family :	Palm family (Arecaceae)
Genre :	Stilt palms
Scientific name
	Socratea
	H.Karst.

The stilt palm ( Socratea ) constitute a genus within the family of Palm plants (Arecaceae). The five or so species are common in the Neotropics from Central to South America .

description

Illustration of Socratea exorrhiza

Budded inflorescences and fruit clusters of Socratea exorrhiza

Socratea exorrhiza

Vegetative characteristics

The trunks of the stilt palms are tall, gray, standing individually or rarely in groups (clusters). They are supported by an open cone of stilt-like, prickly, brown roots. The genus of the stilt palms can be recognized directly by the roots, in the other Iriarteeae genera the stilt roots are much closer together, so that the root cone is not transparent .

The leaf sheaths of the four to seven pinnate palm fronds form a distinct corolla. The leaflets , which are serrated at the tips, are segmented lengthways (with the exception of Socratea salazarii ). The segments separate and give the leaflets a clove-like appearance. The tips of the segments are often drooping, which is characteristic of some species.

Generative characteristics

Systematics

The genus Socratea was established by Gustav Karl Wilhelm Hermann Karsten . The scientific generic name Socratea refers to the philosopher Socrates . A synonym for Socratea H.Karst. is Metasocratea Dugand .

Five species of Socratea are described:

Socratea exorrhiza (Mart.) H. Wendl. : Probably the best known species of the genus; their distribution ranges from southeastern Nicaragua to Brazil.
Socratea hecatonandra (Dugand) R.Bernal : The homeland is western Colombia and northwestern Ecuador.
Socratea karstenii F.W. Stauffer & Balslev : The species first described in 2012 occurs in Venezuela.
Socratea rostrata Burret (Syn .: Socratea montana R.Bernal & A.Henderson ): The home is Colombia, Ecuador and northern Peru.
Socratea salazarii H.E. Moore : The homeland is Peru, northern Bolivia and the Brazilian state of Acre .

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Socratea. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved August 4, 2018.
^ ^A ^b ^c ^d Andrew Henderson, Gloria Galeano-Garces, Rodrigo Bernal: Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0691016009 , pp. 109-110.

Web links

Commons : Stilt Palms ( Socratea ) - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Short description in palmbase.org (Engl.)
Species listing at golatofski.de

Socratea in the Germplasm Resources Information Network (GRIN), USDA , ARS , National Genetic Resources Program. National Germplasm Resources Laboratory, Beltsville, Maryland.

[WCSP-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Rafaël Govaerts (ed.): Socratea. In: World Checklist of Selected Plant Families (WCSP) - The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew . Retrieved August 4, 2018.

[Field_Guide-2] A ^b ^c ^d Andrew Henderson, Gloria Galeano-Garces, Rodrigo Bernal: Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas. Princeton University Press, 1997, ISBN 978-0691016009 , pp. 109-110.