| Field notes | (Bactris sp.). Forming clumps of 3-15 individuals in pasture in cleared montane forest. Base with a relatively inconspicous cover of light to dark brown adventitious roots up to 30 cm yp the trunk, each root app. 1 cm in diam and with a flaky cap covering the apex. Trunks up to 15 m tall, but the collected specimen 3 m tall and 11 cm in diam, grey armed with spines which are arranged in 7 cm wide belts around the trunk; These belts alternating with glabrous, smooth leafscars, which are 4 cm long and likewise encireling the trunk completely; the spines up to 10 cm long, black flexuose, about 1 mm wide, pointing downwards. Crown of 5 expanded leaves and a young lancelike leaf in the center. Leaves spreading; sheath leavily sping, closed. 120 cm long, persisting for some time after the blade has fallen, broken off at the petiole without distinct abscission zone; petiole 30 cm long, 3 cm wide, slightly channeled above; blade 240 x 120 cm, with 51 pinnae on each side, these not arranged in one plane, so the blade is 3-dimensional. Inflorescence emerging below the leaves but in the axils of the persisting sheaths of the fallen leaves, each tree with about 3 inflorescences in various degrees of maturation, the spiny spathe conspicuous and covering the inflorescence like a roof; young inflorescence light yellow with only primary branches, female flowers inserted basally on these and male flowers apically; male flowers with valvate tepals; fruits when immature green, about 1.5 cm in diam, with a fleshy 2 mm thick exo- and mesocarp and a thin not very hard endocarp; the seed with watery endosperm turning into a white gelatinous mass; mature fruits orange. Uses: The trunk of this palm is very hard and sclerenchy matous ? and is used for house constructing. When placed in the ground it will last uptil 12 years, but if placed in cement it may last even longer. The fruits are not eaten even if the relation to the lowland-chonta (Bactris gasipaes) is recognised. This information was given by an approximately 60 year old man, who said he arrived here 40 years ago when the area was only reached by mule. He now lives from cattlefarming. A "chonta"-trunk is sold for 30 sucres. The fact that the fruit is not eaten was confirmed later the same day by an unnamed man who passed by. |
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