| Field notes | Contilla (Spanish), Pica-no-chi (Cayapa). Caespitose with one major and two much smaller stems. On terra firme, but close to the river. Stilt-roots c. 70, to 42 cm, 1.3 cm wide, smooth, except few prickly lenticels, first cream-coloured, later greyish brown. Stem 520 cm long, 8.5 cm wide basally to 8 cm distally wide; internodes 10 cm basally, covered with heavy spines, sulcate, waxy to mealy, brown; spines 6.5 cm basally on stem to 11 cm distally, glossy black on a short green foot; leaf-scars 4 cm wide. Leaves 4 (+sword); leaf-base 110 cm long, 25 cm wide at the base, sheathing for the first 40 cm, densely covered with spines of different length, up to 5 cm, in groups of up to 20, brownish yellow, mealy; margin fibrous, continuing in two lists that meet in a V; petiole 55 cm long, 22 cm wide, rounded below, channeled above, green to glossy brown and mealy basally, green distally, below with numerous up to 2 cm long spines; rachis 265 cm, green, few spines below. Blade 300 cm long, 175 cm wide, elliptic, flat; pinnae 2 x 49, reduplicate, inserted evenly in one plane, 52 x 7.5 cm basally, 94 x 6.5 cm in the middle, 35 x 3 cm apically, dark green above, green below, slightly plicate, apex acuminate to cuspidate. (Fruiting material from nearby group of individuals). Infructescence interfoliar, borne at the base of an older leaf; prophyll 12-15 cm long, 7-8 cm wide, truncate basally, acuminate apically, acumen 5 cm, bicarinate, split open ab- and adaxially, fleshy, yellow with waxy-mealy brown indument, basally with spines; peduncular bract one, 60 cm long, 12 cm wide basally to 18 cm near apex wide (circumf.), woody, brownish grey and mealy, covered with spines of different length up to 2 cm; peduncle, 21 cm long, 2.5 cm wide, flattened, green with brown indument; rachis 17 cm long, green with reddish brown indument; rachillae 52, evenly distributed, 19 cm long basally to 16 cm apically long. Fruits immature, 0.9 x 0.6 cm, cupula 4 mm high, stigmatic residue black. Use: "Palmito" is edible. Fruits are boiled and eaten, according to Maclovio Anapa & Vicente Tapuyo. Duplicates: AAU, QCA, QCNE. |
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