Attalea crassispatha
Encyclopedia
Attalea crassispatha is a palm
which is endemic to southwest Haiti
. The most geographically isolated member of the genus, it is considered a critically endangered species and has been called one of the rarest palms in the Americas
.
ly compound leaves—leaves in which rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern—with 127 to 165 pairs of leaflets. Leaves consist of a leaf sheath which wraps around the trunk, a rachis
, from which the leaflets emerge, and a petiole
, which connects the leaf sheath with the rachis. The leaf sheath is open (it does not wrap completely around the stem); when the leaf is shed, the leaf sheath detached cleanly from the stem. The sheath and petiole combined are 1.3 metre long, while the rachis is 3.2 metre long.
The inflorescence
s are born among the leaves. They are either predominantly male, or have a mixture of male and female flowers. The inflorescence consists of a main axis—the peduncle
and the rachis
—and a series of smaller branches, the rachillae. The rachillae, which bear the flowers, emerge from the rachis. The peduncle is the main stalk, connecting the rachis with the stem. The peduncle
, the main stalk of the inflorescence, is no more than 20 cm (7.9 in) long and up to 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter. The rachis is up to 40 cm (15.7 in) while the rachillae, which can number in the hundreds, reach a length of about 15 cm (5.9 in). The fruit is reddish when ripe. The seeds, which are about 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) long and 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) in diameter are covered by a 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) mesocarp and a 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in) endocarp.
survives in Haiti. Attalea crassispatha is found in three anthropogenic habitats—field gardens, courtyard gardens, and shrub forest. Field gardens are typically a mixture of annual crops which are farmed for a few years and then converted to pasture. Courtyard gardens are cultivated with perennial crops, usually on more fertile soils. Shrub forests are small patches of secondary forest, often on dry stony areas which are least suitable for agriculture. Joel Timyan and Sameul Reep considered courtyard gardens to have the highest potential for survival and regeneration. At the other extreme, they found only one case of natural regeneration in a field garden.
. All the other species in the genus are Central
or South America
n species; the only other species found in the insular Caribbean
, A. maripa and A. osmantha
, are found in Trinidad and Tobago
, at the extreme southern end of the Caribbean
. Its small population size and extreme isolation from other members of the genus make A. crassispatha scientifically interesting. This isolation was supported by a molecular phylogeny of the group published in 2009. Alan Meerow
and colleagues found A. crassispatha to belong to a clade that included the "Scheelea clade" and the two "Orbignya clades", but that it was a sister to both groups.
visited the island of Hispaniola
in 1689 and published a description of the species in 1703. Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
used Plumier's notes and drawings to give the species a formal Linnaean
description in 1884 placing it in the genus Maximiliana. In 1929 Max Burret
transferred the species to Attalea. In 1939 O. F. Cook
placed the species in a new genus, Bornoa, named for Louis Borno
, former President of Haiti
. However, Cook did not validly publish
it, making the name invalid. Liberty Hyde Bailey
kept the species in the genus Attalea. S. F. Glassman considered it close to the genus Orbignya, but suggested that it may represent a new genus. Recent work has favoured maintaining all Attaleinae in a single genus, Attalea.
, but it is richer in fats and denser. The nuts are also a good source of cooking oil. The bract
is used as a bowl for feeding pig
s. The leaves are used for thatch and weaving, but only when the more common fan palm
s Sabal causiarum
and Coccothrinax argentea
are unavailable. It is also used as a source of lumber and as a boundary marker between farmers' fields due to its longevity and ability to survive hurricanes.
. Efforts are underway to conserve the species by planting seedlings both in Haiti and elsewhere; in 1991 seeds were distributed to botanic gardens
in 12 countries.
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
which is endemic to southwest Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
. The most geographically isolated member of the genus, it is considered a critically endangered species and has been called one of the rarest palms in the Americas
Americas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
.
Description
Attalea crassispatha has a single stem which grows up to 20 metres (65.6 ft) tall. The stem is grey, up to 35 centimetres (13.8 in) in diameter, and can be columnar, or slightly swollen at the base of the middle of the stem. Individuals bear 15 to 19 pinnatePinnate
Pinnate is a term used to describe feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis in plant or animal structures, and comes from the Latin word pinna meaning "feather", "wing", or "fin". A similar term is pectinate, which refers to a comb-like arrangement of parts...
ly compound leaves—leaves in which rows of leaflets emerge on either side of the axis of the leaf in a feather-like or fern-like pattern—with 127 to 165 pairs of leaflets. Leaves consist of a leaf sheath which wraps around the trunk, a rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
, from which the leaflets emerge, and a petiole
Petiole (botany)
In botany, the petiole is the stalk attaching the leaf blade to the stem. The petiole usually has the same internal structure as the stem. Outgrowths appearing on each side of the petiole are called stipules. Leaves lacking a petiole are called sessile, or clasping when they partly surround the...
, which connects the leaf sheath with the rachis. The leaf sheath is open (it does not wrap completely around the stem); when the leaf is shed, the leaf sheath detached cleanly from the stem. The sheath and petiole combined are 1.3 metre long, while the rachis is 3.2 metre long.
The inflorescence
Inflorescence
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Strictly, it is the part of the shoot of seed plants where flowers are formed and which is accordingly modified...
s are born among the leaves. They are either predominantly male, or have a mixture of male and female flowers. The inflorescence consists of a main axis—the peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
and the rachis
Rachis
Rachis is a biological term for a main axis or "shaft".-In zoology:In vertebrates a rachis can refer to the series of articulated vertebrae, which encase the spinal cord. In this case the rachis usually form the supporting axis of the body and is then called the spine or vertebral column...
—and a series of smaller branches, the rachillae. The rachillae, which bear the flowers, emerge from the rachis. The peduncle is the main stalk, connecting the rachis with the stem. The peduncle
Peduncle (botany)
In botany, a peduncle is a stem supporting an inflorescence, or after fecundation, an infructescence.The peduncle is a stem, usually green and without leaves, though sometimes colored or supporting small leaves...
, the main stalk of the inflorescence, is no more than 20 cm (7.9 in) long and up to 6 cm (2.4 in) in diameter. The rachis is up to 40 cm (15.7 in) while the rachillae, which can number in the hundreds, reach a length of about 15 cm (5.9 in). The fruit is reddish when ripe. The seeds, which are about 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) long and 2 cm (0.78740157480315 in) in diameter are covered by a 5 millimetre (0.196850393700787 in) mesocarp and a 3 mm (0.118110236220472 in) endocarp.
Distribution
Very little natural vegetationDeforestation in Haiti
Deforestation in Haiti is a severe environmental problem. In 1923, over 60% of Haiti's land was forested; by 2006, less than 2% was.Deforestation sped up after Hurricane Hazel downed trees throughout the island in 1954...
survives in Haiti. Attalea crassispatha is found in three anthropogenic habitats—field gardens, courtyard gardens, and shrub forest. Field gardens are typically a mixture of annual crops which are farmed for a few years and then converted to pasture. Courtyard gardens are cultivated with perennial crops, usually on more fertile soils. Shrub forests are small patches of secondary forest, often on dry stony areas which are least suitable for agriculture. Joel Timyan and Sameul Reep considered courtyard gardens to have the highest potential for survival and regeneration. At the other extreme, they found only one case of natural regeneration in a field garden.
Taxonomy
Attalea crassispatha is the most isolated disjunct in the genus AttaleaAttalea (genus)
Attalea is a large genus of palms native to Mexico, the Caribbean, Central and South America. This pinnately leaved, non-spiny genus includes both small palms lacking an aboveground stem and large trees. The genus has a complicated taxonomic history, and has often been split into four or five...
. All the other species in the genus are Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
or South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
n species; the only other species found in the insular Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
, A. maripa and A. osmantha
Attalea osmantha
Attalea osmantha is a large pinnately leaved palm found in Trinidad and Tobago and northern Venezuela....
, are found in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago is an archipelagic state in the southern Caribbean, lying just off the coast of northeastern Venezuela and south of Grenada in the Lesser Antilles...
, at the extreme southern end of the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. Its small population size and extreme isolation from other members of the genus make A. crassispatha scientifically interesting. This isolation was supported by a molecular phylogeny of the group published in 2009. Alan Meerow
Alan W. Meerow
Alan W. Meerow is an American botanist, born in New York in 1952. He specializes in the taxonomy of the family Amaryllidaceae and the horticulture of palms and tropical ornamental plants....
and colleagues found A. crassispatha to belong to a clade that included the "Scheelea clade" and the two "Orbignya clades", but that it was a sister to both groups.
History
Charles PlumierCharles Plumier
Charles Plumier was a French botanist, after whom the Frangipani genus Plumeria is named. Plumier is considered one of the most important of the botanical explorers of his time...
visited the island of Hispaniola
Hispaniola
Hispaniola is a major island in the Caribbean, containing the two sovereign states of the Dominican Republic and Haiti. The island is located between the islands of Cuba to the west and Puerto Rico to the east, within the hurricane belt...
in 1689 and published a description of the species in 1703. Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius
Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius was a German botanist and explorer.Martius was born at Erlangen, where he graduated M.D. in 1814, publishing as his thesis a critical catalogue of plants in the botanic garden of the university...
used Plumier's notes and drawings to give the species a formal Linnaean
Linnaean taxonomy
Linnaean taxonomy can mean either of two related concepts:# the particular form of biological classification set up by Carl Linnaeus, as set forth in his Systema Naturæ and subsequent works...
description in 1884 placing it in the genus Maximiliana. In 1929 Max Burret
Max Burret
Karl Ewald Maximilian Burret, commonly known as Max Burret was a German botanist.Burret was born in Saffig near Andernach in the Prussian Rhine Province. He originally studied law at Lausanne and Munich at the instigation of his father...
transferred the species to Attalea. In 1939 O. F. Cook
Orator F. Cook
Orator Fuller Cook was an American botanist, entomologist, and agronomist. Cook, born in Clyde, New York in 1867, graduated from Syracuse University in 1890. He worked for one year as an instructor at Syracuse. In 1891 Cook became a special agent of the New York State Colonization Society. He...
placed the species in a new genus, Bornoa, named for Louis Borno
Louis Borno
Eustache Antoine Francois Joseph Louis Borno was a lawyer and Haitian politician. He served as President of the Republic of Haiti from 1922 to 1930 during the period of the American occupation of Haiti...
, former President of Haiti
President of Haiti
The President of the Republic of Haiti is the head of state of Haiti. Executive power in Haiti is divided between the president and the government headed by the Prime Minister of Haiti...
. However, Cook did not validly publish
Nomen nudum
The phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
it, making the name invalid. Liberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey
Liberty Hyde Bailey was an American horticulturist, botanist and cofounder of the American Society for Horticultural Science.-Biography:...
kept the species in the genus Attalea. S. F. Glassman considered it close to the genus Orbignya, but suggested that it may represent a new genus. Recent work has favoured maintaining all Attaleinae in a single genus, Attalea.
Common names
Common names for the species include carossier, carroussier, côrossié, petit coco, kawosie, ti koko, kowos, kokowos, kolowosh and kowos etranjè.Uses
The seeds of Attalea crassispatha are edible; the flavour is reported to be similar to that of coconutCoconut
The coconut palm, Cocos nucifera, is a member of the family Arecaceae . It is the only accepted species in the genus Cocos. The term coconut can refer to the entire coconut palm, the seed, or the fruit, which is not a botanical nut. The spelling cocoanut is an old-fashioned form of the word...
, but it is richer in fats and denser. The nuts are also a good source of cooking oil. The bract
Bract
In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, especially one associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis, or cone scale. Bracts are often different from foliage leaves. They may be smaller, larger, or of a different color, shape, or texture...
is used as a bowl for feeding pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s. The leaves are used for thatch and weaving, but only when the more common fan palm
Fan palm
Fan palm as a descriptive term can refer to any of several different kinds of palms in various genera with leaves that are palmately compound...
s Sabal causiarum
Sabal causiarum
Sabal causiarum, commonly known as the Puerto Rican hat palm, is a species of palm which is native to Hispaniola, Puerto Rico and the British Virgin Islands...
and Coccothrinax argentea
Coccothrinax argentea
Coccothrinax argentea is a palm which is endemic to Hispaniola. It is a medium sized palm Coccothrinax argentea is a palm which is endemic to Hispaniola. It is a medium sized palm Coccothrinax argentea is a palm which is endemic to Hispaniola. It is a medium sized palm (growing about 10 m tall. ...
are unavailable. It is also used as a source of lumber and as a boundary marker between farmers' fields due to its longevity and ability to survive hurricanes.
Conservation
Attalea crassispatha is considered a critically endangered species with an estimated population of 25 individuals in 1991. As a result of its small population size, A. crassispatha has been described as being one of the rarest palms in the AmericasAmericas
The Americas, or America , are lands in the Western hemisphere, also known as the New World. In English, the plural form the Americas is often used to refer to the landmasses of North America and South America with their associated islands and regions, while the singular form America is primarily...
. Efforts are underway to conserve the species by planting seedlings both in Haiti and elsewhere; in 1991 seeds were distributed to botanic gardens
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
in 12 countries.