| Field notes | Two stems and a small sucker (cespitose) on steep hill in dry forest. Stem 6 m tall, ca. 8 cm in diam., heavily armed with black, downwards pointing spines, longest spines to 8 cm long, arranged in rings on the stem on the internodes. Leaves 7 - 8, spreading; sheath and petiole not distinct in old leaves, split open almost to base in outer most leaf, 84 cm from base of sheath to lowest pinna, sheath green with white indumentum and black downwards pointing spines to 3 cm long mostly along central thickened part, sheath margin thin fibrous, inside brown smooth. Petiole bending out, rounded below shallowly grooved above, margin between upper and lower surface rounded, green with fine grey indumentum, heavily armed with fine to 5 mm long spines all over and heavy spines to 2 cm long mostly along abaxial midnerve, rachis 205 cm long, rounded below, above with a groove along the basal 27 cm, the groove changing to a central crest, pinnae inserted on two flat upwards pointing flat sides, green with grey indument and spines, but indument as well as spines becoming less pronounced towards the top of the blade. Pinnae 63 per side plus the broad top segment, in groups of 5, 5, 5, 5, 4, 2, 1, 9, 10, 14, 3, the pinnae diverging in different directions, the basal one in a group tends to point more adaxial, the upper one in a group tend to be in the plane of rachis, basal pinnae 36 x 2 cm, middle pinnae 44 x 7 cm, top one (not apical segment ) 24 x 4 cm, top segment 22 x 17 cm, all pinnae wedgeshaped with dentately cut tips, very few spines on the pinnae but with marginal fine young leaves with fine indumentum beneath. Infructescence one per stem, inserted in the 3rd leaf from the base; prophyll inserted at base, 45 cm long 6 cm wide at the base, dorsiventrally flattened with two lateral wings, spiny on abaxial side, smooth on adaxial side, base cream coloured, top green or brown from wilting; sterile bract inserted 17 cm from base, 145 cm long, 3 - 5 cm wide, cream coloured at base, wilted brown at top, spiny on outside especially on apical 40 cm, smooth on inside. Peduncle 137 cm long, rounded, slightly dorsiventrally flattened, 1 - 2 cm wide, cream coloured at base, light green at top, with grey indument and densely spiny; spines pointing downwards, up to 1.5 cm long, most spiny towards base; rachis 43 cm long, round, green, not spiny; rachillae 74, basal ones 32 cm long, apical ones 5 cm long, inserted all the way around the rachis and pointing out in (+) right angles; fruits green, 1.5 - 2 cm diam., spherical style scar in center. Common name: COROZO according to three local informants. Uses: The fruit is bright red when ripe. It is harvested and dried for 1 - 2 days in the sun. The "flesh" (mesocarp) is then taken away and the hard part (endocarp) is cracked with a hammer and the inner part (endosperm) is eaten as delicacy. |
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