| Field notes | Acaulescent palm, ca. 8 m tall, 8 contemporaneous leaves. Leaf no. 1: petiole 2 m long; rachis 5.33 m long; no pinnae per side = 92; basal pinna 85 cm x 2 cm; middle pinna 1.13 m x 7 cm; apical pinna 41 cm x 2.5 cm. leaf No 2: petiole 2.36 m; rachis 5.37 m; no. pinnae per side = 97; basal pinna 1.15 m x 3.5cm; middle pinna 1.25 m x 7 cm; apical pinna 45 cm x 1.5 cm. Pinnae regularly inserted along the rachis and in a single plane. Apical pinnae fused on ca. upper 1/6th of leaf. Bract+/- rotted off the inflorescence, ca. 76 cm long of which 9.5 cm is beak; 29 cm in diam. at middle. Inflorescence with peduncle 30 cm long; rachis 31 cm long and covered with 31 young fruits. Another inflorescence with 20 almost mature fruits of which 6 did not fully develop. Fruits weights (gm): 428, 610, 588, 98, 580, 614, 538, 590, 42, 614, 536, 580, 534, 458, 616, 610, 222. Use: Edible fruits. Crack open when fully ripe to consume endosperm, or harvest when immature to drink liquid endosperm to quench thirst. Common name: “Taparo” |
