Eremospatha
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''Eremospatha'' is a
genus Genus (; : genera ) is a taxonomic rank above species and below family (taxonomy), family as used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In bino ...
of climbing
flowering plant Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (). The term angiosperm is derived from the Ancient Greek, Greek words (; 'container, vessel') and (; 'seed'), meaning that the seeds are enclosed with ...
s in the
palm Palm most commonly refers to: * Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand * Palm plants, of family Arecaceae ** List of Arecaceae genera **Palm oil * Several other plants known as "palm" Palm or Palms may also refer to: Music ...
family found in tropical
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
.Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families
/ref> These
rattan Rattan, also spelled ratan (from Malay language, Malay: ''rotan''), is the name for roughly 600 species of Old World climbing palms belonging to subfamily Calamoideae. The greatest diversity of rattan palm species and genera are in the clos ...
s are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to ''
Laccosperma ''Laccosperma'' is a clustering genus of flowering plant in the Palm family (Arecaceae or palmae) found in tropical Africa. Poorly studied and rarely cultivated, they are closely related to the genus '' Eremospatha'' and with it form a tribe in t ...
'', they are differentiated by the near complete absence of bracts and bracteoles.Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) ''Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore''. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. / The name is from
Greek Greek may refer to: Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
meaning 'without a
spathe In botany, a bract is a modified or specialized leaf, associated with a reproductive structure such as a flower, inflorescence axis or cone scale. Bracts are usually different from foliage leaves in size, color, shape or texture. They also look ...
'.


Description

The slender, high-climbing trunks are naturally clustering and can reach up to in length. The
pinnate Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and ...
leaves range from to on short, armed petioles; the rachis, leaf margins and cirri are also armed with spines. They are hermaphroditic, with both male and female reproductive organs present in each
flower Flowers, also known as blooms and blossoms, are the reproductive structures of flowering plants ( angiosperms). Typically, they are structured in four circular levels, called whorls, around the end of a stalk. These whorls include: calyx, m ...
. The pale blooms are fragrant and produce a red to brown, scaly
fruit In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants (angiosperms) that is formed from the ovary after flowering. Fruits are the means by which angiosperms disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particular have long propaga ...
, each containing one to three
seed In botany, a seed is a plant structure containing an embryo and stored nutrients in a protective coat called a ''testa''. More generally, the term "seed" means anything that can be Sowing, sown, which may include seed and husk or tuber. Seeds ...
s.Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) ''An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms''. Portland: Timber Press. /


Distribution and habitat

These palms are native to the
rain forest Rainforests are forests characterized by a closed and continuous tree Canopy (biology), canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforests can be generally classified as tropi ...
of west Africa, the
Congo Basin The Congo Basin () is the sedimentary basin of the Congo River. The Congo Basin is located in Central Africa, in a region known as west equatorial Africa. The Congo Basin region is sometimes known simply as the Congo. It contains some of the larg ...
, and to
Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
where they grow in
swamps A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
and alongside rivers.


Species

Accepted species:Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. * '' Eremospatha barendii'' Sunderl. - Cameroon * '' Eremospatha cabrae'' (De Wild. & T.Durand) De Wild. - Zaire, Congo-Brazzaville, Cabinda, Gabon, Central African Republic * ''
Eremospatha cuspidata ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' (G.Mann & H.Wendl.) H.Wendl. - Zaire, Congo-Brazzaville, Cabinda, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Central African Republic, Angola, Zambia * ''
Eremospatha dransfieldii ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' Sunderl. - Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast, Ghana * ''
Eremospatha haullevilleana ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' De Wild. - Cameroon, Zaire, Congo-Brazzaville, Cabinda, Gabon, Central African Republic, Burundi, Uganda, Tanzania * ''
Eremospatha hookeri ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the arecaceae, palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to ''Laccosperma'', they are differe ...
'' (G.Mann & H.Wendl.) H.Wendl. - Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea * ''
Eremospatha laurentii ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' De Wild. - Liberia, Sierra Leone, Nigeria, Cameroon, Zaire, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea * ''
Eremospatha macrocarpa ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' Schaedtler - Cameroon, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Benin, Ghana, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone * ''
Eremospatha quinquecostulata ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the arecaceae, palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to ''Laccosperma'', they are differe ...
'' Becc. - Nigeria, Cameroon * ''
Eremospatha tessmanniana ''Eremospatha'' is a genus of climbing flowering plants in the palm family found in tropical Africa. These rattans are uncommon in cultivation and poorly understood by taxonomists. Closely related to '' Laccosperma'', they are differentiated b ...
'' Becc. - Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea * ''
Eremospatha wendlandiana ''Eremospatha wendlandiana'' is a rattan-like liana of the family Arecaceae native to West Africa. The leaves are once-pinnate and the Leaflet (botany), leaflets are dichotomously veined not unlike Ginkgo, but with a round form. Description ...
'' Dammer ex Becc. - Nigeria, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Gabon, Central African Republic, Equatorial Guinea, Cabinda


References


External links


''Eremospatha'' on NPGS/GRIN

GBIF Portal

Fairchild Guide to Palms: ''Eremospatha''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q141725 Ancistrophyllinae Arecaceae genera