Iriartea
Encyclopedia
Iriartea is a genus
in the palm family Arecaceae
, native to Central
and South America
. The best-known species
– and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua
south into Bolivia
. It is the most common tree in many forests in which it occurs. It is known by such names as bombona (which can also refer to other palms, e.g. Attalea regia) or cacho de vaca (which can refer to many other plants, like the Bignoniaceae
Godmania aesculifolia or the orchid Myrmecophila humboldtii
). In the Murui Huitoto
language of southwestern Colombia
, it is called jɨagɨna or jɨaìgɨna, and in western Ecuador it is known as pambil.
These palms are canopy tree
s growing to 20–35 m tall. I. deltoidea is easily recognized by the prominent bulge in the center of its trunk, and the stilt roots, which form a dense cone up to 1 m in diameter at the base. It can thus be easily be distinguished from Socratea exorrhiza
(which also bears stilt roots), as the stilt roots of the former are much less tightly appressed upon one another. The leaves
are up to 5 m long, and pinnate. The numerous pinna
e are fan-shaped, and held in various planes. The fruit
is a 2-cm diameter drupe
, and primarily dispersed by bat
s.
The fruit are also eaten by humans, and the wood is used for construction and in handicraft
.
, Iriartella
, Socratea
and Wettinia
were split off from the Iriartea but are close relatives, together with the present genus forming the tribe
Iriarteeae. Less closely related palms which were at one time presumed to be Iriarteeae are members of the genera Ceroxylon
, Drymophloeus
, and the monotypic
Deckenia nobilis.
There remain a few somewhat dubious taxa, published in L'Illustration Horticole in 1881. These may be synonyms or good species, but probably the former:
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
in the palm family Arecaceae
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...
, native to 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...
and 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...
. The best-known species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
– and probably the only one – is Iriartea deltoidea, which is found from Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...
south into Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
. It is the most common tree in many forests in which it occurs. It is known by such names as bombona (which can also refer to other palms, e.g. Attalea regia) or cacho de vaca (which can refer to many other plants, like the Bignoniaceae
Bignoniaceae
The Bignoniaceae, or Trumpet Creeper Family, is a family of flowering plants comprising about 650-750 species in 116-120 genera. Members of the family are mostly trees and lianas , shrubs and more rarely herbaceous plants. As climber plants, they are twine climbers or tendril climbers, and rarely...
Godmania aesculifolia or the orchid Myrmecophila humboldtii
Myrmecophila humboldtii
Myrmecophila humboldtii is a species in the orchid family found in Central America. The species is named after Alexander von Humboldt. Its natural distribution is from the South Caribbean to Venezuela....
). In the Murui Huitoto
Murui Huitoto
Murui Huitoto - or simply Murui is an indigenous American Huitoto language of the Witotoan family spoken by 2,900 of indigenous people in western South America alongside the Ampiyacu, Putumayo, and Napo rivers....
language of southwestern Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, it is called jɨagɨna or jɨaìgɨna, and in western Ecuador it is known as pambil.
These palms are canopy tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 20–35 m tall. I. deltoidea is easily recognized by the prominent bulge in the center of its trunk, and the stilt roots, which form a dense cone up to 1 m in diameter at the base. It can thus be easily be distinguished from Socratea exorrhiza
Socratea exorrhiza
Socratea exorrhiza, the Walking Palm or Cashapona, is a palm native to rainforests in tropical Central and South America. It can grow to 25 meters in height, with a stem diameter of up to 17 cm. It has unusual stilt roots, the function of which has been debated. Many species of epiphyte have...
(which also bears stilt roots), as the stilt roots of the former are much less tightly appressed upon one another. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are up to 5 m long, and pinnate. The numerous pinna
Pinna
In animal anatomy, the pinna is the visible part of the ear that resides outside of the head ....
e are fan-shaped, and held in various planes. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a 2-cm diameter drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, and primarily dispersed by bat
Bat
Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera "hand" and pteron "wing") whose forelimbs form webbed wings, making them the only mammals naturally capable of true and sustained flight. By contrast, other mammals said to fly, such as flying squirrels, gliding possums, and colugos, glide rather than fly,...
s.
The fruit are also eaten by humans, and the wood is used for construction and in handicraft
Handicraft
Handicraft, more precisely expressed as artisanic handicraft, sometimes also called artisanry, is a type of work where useful and decorative devices are made completely by hand or by using only simple tools. It is a traditional main sector of craft. Usually the term is applied to traditional means...
.
Taxonomy and systematics
Almost all species at one time placed in Iriartea have now been moved elsewhere or placed in synonymy with I. deltoidea. DictyocaryumDictyocaryum
Dictyocaryum is a monoecious genus of flowering plant in the palm family found in South America which is closely related to the Iriartea genus; they are commonly called araque or palma real. As many as eleven species have been described but this number is reduced to three in most current accounts...
, Iriartella
Iriartella
Iriartella is a genus of two species of palms found in South America. The Nukak people use Iriartella stigera to fashion blowguns....
, Socratea
Socratea
Socratea is a genus of five species of palms found in tropical America. It can uproot itself and move away from where it germinated....
and Wettinia
Wettinia
Wettinia is a palm genus, consisting of flowering plants in the Arecaceae family. The genus, established in 1837, contains some 20 species, but more seem to await discovery considering that 4 species - W. aequatorialis, W. lanata, W. minima and W. panamensis - were described as late as 1995. The...
were split off from the Iriartea but are close relatives, together with the present genus forming the tribe
Tribe (biology)
In biology, a tribe is a taxonomic rank between family and genus. It is sometimes subdivided into subtribes.Some examples include the tribes: Canini, Acalypheae, Hominini, Bombini, and Antidesmeae.-See also:* Biological classification* Rank...
Iriarteeae. Less closely related palms which were at one time presumed to be Iriarteeae are members of the genera Ceroxylon
Ceroxylon
Ceroxylon is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family, native to the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, known as Andean wax palms....
, Drymophloeus
Drymophloeus
Drymophloeus is a genus of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It contains the following species:* Drymophloeus lepidotus* Drymophloeus oliviformis* Drymophloeus pachycladus* Drymophloeus samoensis* Drymophloeus subdistichus...
, and the monotypic
Monotypic
In biology, a monotypic taxon is a taxonomic group with only one biological type. The term's usage differs slightly between botany and zoology. The term monotypic has a separate use in conservation biology, monotypic habitat, regarding species habitat conversion eliminating biodiversity and...
Deckenia nobilis.
There remain a few somewhat dubious taxa, published in L'Illustration Horticole in 1881. These may be synonyms or good species, but probably the former:
- Iriartea affinis H.Karst. ex Linden
- Iriartea costata Linden
- Iriartea glaucescens Linden
- Iriartea pygmaea Linden (nomen nudumNomen nudumThe phrase nomen nudum is a Latin term, meaning "naked name", used in taxonomy...
) - Iriartea xanthorhiza Klotzsch ex Linden
- Iriartea zamorensis Linden