| Field notes | Solitary palm treel, basally with cone of ca. 20 adventitious roots (stilt roots) up to 2.5 m long and 4.5 cm in diam., light brown and with white, spiny lentiscels. Stem about 23 m tall, 15 cm. in diam basally (2.5 m above the ground that is), 13 cm at the middle and 11 cm distally, covered by light gray crustaceous lichens. Number of leaves 9. Crownshaft 1.90 m long, 17 cm in diam. at the base and 10 cm in diam. distally. Leaf sheath 2.10 m long, smooth, bluish green, not shiny, entire marginally. Petiole 25 cm long terete basally, ridged above distally. Blade 3.2 m long. Number of pinnae 2 X 21. Inflorescence infrafoliar, paniculate with spirally areranged rachillae. Peduncle 0.5 m. Flowers sessile. Fruits 1.5 cm in diam., sphaeric, brownish green. Nom. vern.: Pin-lla-chi (Cayapa), Sancona (Castellano) Use: The trunk is split open and the pith removed. The very hard tissues in the periphery serve as boards used e.g. for walls in houses. |
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