''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is a species of palm in the genus ''

Phytelephas ''Phytelephas'' is a genus containing six known species of dioecious Arecaceae, palms (family (biology), family Arecaceae), occurring from southern Panama along the Andes to Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, northwestern Brazil, and Peru. They are com ...

''. The compound leaves are around 7 meters in length, with stem diameters of 10 cm. Brown,

ovulate Ovulation is an important part of the menstrual cycle in female vertebrates where the egg cells are released from the ovaries as part of the ovarian cycle. In female humans ovulation typically occurs near the midpoint in the menstrual cycle and ...

fruits of about 6 cm are produced. Palms of the ''Phytelephas'' genus are also referred to as vegetable ivory palms.

Distribution and habitat

''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is distributed in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The palms are distributed in the Amazon rainforest region in habitats of river plains and lowlands.

Human uses

Both humans and other animals have used the fruits produced by this species as food. In Ecuador, humans also have used leaves such as domestic or construction tools. In Peru, stems have been used for fences and houses and fruits have been used as medicine.

Phylogeny

'', or the

vegetable ivory Vegetable ivory or Phytelephas, tagua nut is a product made from the very hard white endosperm of the seeds of certain Arecaceae, palm trees. Vegetable ivory is named for its resemblance to ivory, animal ivory. Vegetable ivory is naturally white ...

palms, are dispersed across South America. The clade has a total of eight species, and ''Phytelephas'' branches off to have six species. The phylogenetic relationships are not completely understood, so it is unclear which species of the vegetable ivory palms that ''P. tenuicaulis'' is most closely related to. However, it is believed to be the sister species of ''P. aequatorialis'' and ''P. tumacana''. Both are located in the rainforests of the

Tumbes–Chocó–Magdalena Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena is a biodiversity hotspot, which includes the tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests, tropical moist forests and tropical and subtropical dry broadleaf forests, tropical dry forests of the Pacific Ocean, Pacific c ...

biodiversity hotspot. However, despite the differences in

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the species distribution, distribution of species and ecosystems in geography, geographic space and through evolutionary history of life, geological time. Organisms and biological community (ecology), communities o ...

, they are all solitary species and closely share characteristics in their flowers and pollination mechanisms.

Vicariance Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

is one method to explain the distribution and differences in some of the vegetable ivory palms across South America. The main biogeographic barrier involved is the

Andes Mountain range The Andes ( ), Andes Mountains or Andean Mountain Range (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long and wide (widest between 18°S ...

. During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first epoch (geology), geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and mea ...

period, the vicariance event that is believed to lead to biotic diversification is the Andes Uplift. Before the uplift, the present day

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology company * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek myth ...

, Magdalena, and Chocó Rainforests are believed to have been one large rainforest. This event impacted climate, species diversification, and furthermore, evolution. Today, ''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is considered one of the Amazonian species, whereas other palm species, ''P. aequatorialis'' and ''P. tumacana'' are of the Chocoan Rainforest region after the split.

References

* * tenuicaulis Flora of Bolivia Flora of Colombia Flora of Peru Flora of Ecuador {{Palm-stub

Distribution and habitat

Human uses

Phylogeny

See also

References