Biology:Bactris acanthocarpa
| Bactris acanthocarpa | |
|---|---|
| A shrub growing in a rainforest | |
| Bactris acanthocarpa var. exscapa | |
Scientific classification 
| |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Bactris |
| Species: | B. acanthocarpa
|
| Binomial name | |
| Bactris acanthocarpa Mart.
| |
| Varieties[2] | |
| |
Bactris acanthocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub with compound leaves, and orange to red fruits. The species is native to South America, and was described in 1826.
Bactris acanthocarpa is used for food and medicine, and is listed as of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Taxonomy
The species was described by Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius in 1826. Four varieties are recognised:[2]
- Bactris acanthocarpa var. acanthocarpa - native to north-east and south-east Brazil[3]
- Bactris acanthocarpa var. exscapa Barb.Rodr. - native to Bolivia, Brazil (north and north-east), Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Peru, and Venezuela[4]
- Bactris acanthocarpa var. intermedia A.J.Hend. - native to north Brazil, French Guiana, and Suriname[5]
- Bactris acanthocarpa var. trailiana (Barb.Rodr.) A.J.Hend. - native to Bolivia, north Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela[6]
Distribution
Bactris acanthocarpa is native to the seasonally dry tropical biome of Bolivia, Brazil (north, north-east, and south-east), Colombia, Ecuador, French Guiana, Guyana, Peru, Suriname, and Venezuela.[2] The species grows in lowland forests, on non-inundated soils, at elevations of up to 1,000 metres (3,300 ft).[1]
Description
Bactris acanthocarpa is a shrub.[2] The stems are solitary, or in clumps of two to five. The stems are 0.1–1.5 metres (0.33–4.92 ft) tall, 3–6 centimetres (1.2–2.4 in) wide, and sometimes spiny.[7]
Each plant has five to fifteen compound leaves, which have scattered black spines. The leaves have twelve to thirty-three pinnae on each side, which are arranged in clusters or two to four. The leaf stems are 0.4–1.7 metres (1.3–5.6 ft) long.[7]
The inflorescences grow on 10–20 centimetres (3.9–7.9 in) stems. The male flowers are deciduous, and up to 3 millimetres (0.12 in) long. The male flowers have sepals with 0.5–1 millimetre (0.020–0.039 in) long lobes, 2.5–3 millimetres (0.098–0.118 in) long petals, and six stamens. The female flowers are 2–3 millimetres (0.079–0.118 in) long, and have an urn-shaped, 1–3 millimetres (0.039–0.118 in) long calyx. The corolla of the female flowers is 2–4 millimetres (0.079–0.157 in) long.[7]
The fruits are obovoid, 1–2.3 centimetres (0.39–0.91 in) wide, orange to red in colour, and have deciduous spines. The epicarp is spiny, the mesocarp is starchy, and the endocarp is obovoid.[7]
Uses
Bactris acanthocarpa is used for animal food.[2] The mesocarp of the fruit is used to make medicine, and the endocarps are used as beads.[1]
Ecology
Bactris acanthocarpa is eaten by the Brazilian squirrel and the Black-rumped agouti.[8]
Conservation
In 2018, the IUCN assessed Bactris acanthocarpa as of Least Concern. The population is large, and faces no major threats.[1]
Nomenclature
In Portuguese, the species is known as brejaubinha, dendê-de-urubu, mane-velho-roxo, marajá,[9] or maraial.[10] In Spanish, it is known as Espina, Chontilla, Chontaduro de los Peces, or Chontaduro de Monte.[10]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI); IUCN SSC Global Tree Specialist Group (2024). "Bactris acanthocarpa". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2024. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2024-1.RLTS.T67532663A67532666.en. https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/67532663/67532666. Retrieved 2026-08-22.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 "Bactris acanthocarpa" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:664489-1.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa var. acanthocarpa" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:77167606-1.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa var. exscapa" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:28380-2.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa var. intermedia" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:981489-1.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa var. trailiana" (in en). Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. http://www.plantsoftheworldonline.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:1017207-1.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 "Bactris acanthocarpa Mart.". World Flora Online. https://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000305948.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa Mart.". Encyclopedia of Life. https://eol.org/pages/1131085/data.
- ↑ "Bactris acanthocarpa (BCTAC)". EPPO Global Database. https://gd.eppo.int/taxon/BCTAC.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Bactris acanthocarpa Mart.". Catalogue of Life. https://www.catalogueoflife.org/data/taxon/5VZVD.
External links
Data related to Bactris acanthocarpa at Wikispecies
Wikidata ☰ Q15458622 entry
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