Geonoma aspidiifolia subsp. aspidiifolia Species Information

Family: Arecaceae Palm Tree

Common Name: None known

Scientific Synonymy:
Geonoma fusca

Cold Hardiness Zone: 11 View the UK and US zone maps

Geonoma aspidiifolia subsp. aspidiifolia Information

A clump-forming, small, water-loving, moderately fast growing, monoecious, forest understorey palm. Not known in cultivation and scarce in the wild. It has smooth, green stems, 1.8 m. (6 ft.) tall, 0.7 cm. (0.3 inch) diameter with spaced ring leaf scars, and small segmented, pinnate (feather) leaves, 0.2 m. (0.6 ft.) long, 0.2 m. (0.8 ft.) wide, green above and beneath.

This plant is suitable as a houseplant or conservatory plant.

Geonoma aspidiifolia subsp. aspidiifolia naturally occurs in wet and humid tropical rainforest. In this type of natural environment temperature fluctuations are slight, and this palm prefers a constantly hot and humid climate with little temperature difference between day & night, and Summer & Winter. This palm will not tolerate cool for very long, and is one the most difficult palms to keep in cultivation.

Identification

Stems clustered 1.2-3.0 m tall; stem diameter 0.5-1.0 cm; internode length 1.3-3.8 cm; internodes green, or reddish-brown distally; number of leaves per stem 7-12. Leaves irregularly pinnate with multi-veined pinnae; sheath length 8.5-11.5 cm; petiole length 8.0-29.0 cm; rachis length 13.0-23.5 cm; rachis width 1.8-3.1 mm; number of leaf divisions per side of rachis 2-3; basal angle of pinna divergence 63-90°; basal pinna width 0.6-3.0 cm; apical angle of pinna divergence 32-42°; apical pinna width 6.0-12.5 cm; apical pinna length 9.0-16.0 cm. Inflorescences infrafoliar; prophyll length 3.7-6.9 cm; peduncular bract length 3.4-4.7 cm; distance between bract scars 0.2-0.8 cm; peduncle length 3.4-6.0 cm; peduncle width 2.7-4.8 mm; orders of inflorescence branching 1; rachilla length 4.4-8.7 cm; rachilla width 2.6-3.9 mm; number of rachillae 2-4; flower pits spirally arranged; fruit diameter 6.1-7.0 mm; fruit length 8.4-11.2 mm.

General Information

This species was previously grouped with the now separated Geonoma fusca, which is found at 304-1350 m elevation in the Ayanganna Mountains of Guyana.

Distribution

Native to: Brazil

At low elevations in the central Amazon region of Brazil (Amazonas) at low elevations in non-flooded lowland rainforest.

Location: At low elevations in the central Amazon region of Brazil (-2.586036°N, -60.205078°E)

Observations

Map may not represent the complete natural distribution. (Markers display observation data).