Aiphanes duquei
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| Aiphanes duquei | |
|---|---|
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Scientific classification  | |
| Kingdom: | Plantae |
| Clade: | Tracheophytes |
| Clade: | Angiosperms |
| Clade: | Monocots |
| Clade: | Commelinids |
| Order: | Arecales |
| Family: | Arecaceae |
| Genus: | Aiphanes |
| Species: | A. duquei |
| Binomial name | |
| Aiphanes duquei | |
Aiphanes duquei is a species of palm that is endemic to Colombia. Known from only a small area in the Cordillera Occidental, it is threatened by habitat loss and forest management practices.
Aiphanes duquei is a small palm up to 5 metres (16 ft) tall with stems about 5 centimetres (2.0 in) in diameter which are covered with black spines up to 15 cm (5.9 in) long. Stems grow singly, not in clonal clusters. Individuals have between 8 and 9 leaves which consists of a leaf sheath, a petiole and a rachis. Leaf sheaths, which wrap around the stem, are 72 cm (28 in) long. Petioles are yellow to brown, 4 to 25 cm (2 to 10 in) long, and are covered with spines up to 10 cm (3.9 in) long. Rachises are 91 to 110 cm (36 to 43 in), and scattered spines up to 3 cm (1.2 in) long. Leaves each bear 23 to 35 pairs of leaflets.[2]
The male flowers, which are purple in colour, are 4 to 5.2 millimetres (0.16 to 0.20 in) long. The female flowers are larger—13 to 20 mm (0.51 to 0.79 in) long. The fruit are red, 9 to 12 mm (0.35 to 0.47 in) long.[2]