Bactris chaveziae

Bactris chaveziae
Scientific classification
Kingdom:	Plantae
Clade:	Tracheophytes
Clade:	Angiosperms
Clade:	Monocots
Clade:	Commelinids
Order:	Arecales
Family:	Arecaceae
Genus:	Bactris
Species:	B. chaveziae
Binomial name
Bactris chaveziae A.J.Hend.
Synonyms
Bactris concinna var. sigmoidea A.J.Hend.

Bactris chaveziae is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub with spiny stems and purple-black fruits. The species is native to Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil, and was described in 1995.

Taxonomy

The species was described in 1995, by Andrew James Henderson, and published as Bactris concinna var. sigmoidea. In 2000, Henderson placed it as a distinct species named Bactris chaveziae.

Distribution

Bactris chaveziae is native to the wet tropical biome of Peru (Cusco, Madre de Dios, and Pasco), Bolivia (La Paz, Santa Cruz), and northern Brazil (Acre).

Description

Bactris chaveziae is a shrub. The stems are 0.7–4 metres (2.3–13.1 ft) tall, and 1.5–2 centimetres (0.59–0.79 in) wide. The stems have black spines that are up to 4 centimetres (1.6 in) long.

The plant has six to ten leaves, which have eight to nineteen irregularly clustered pinnae on each side, and scattered yellowish-brown spines. The leaf stem is 70–80 centimetres (28–31 in) long.

The inflorescence stem is straight, and up to 15 centimetres (5.9 in) long. The male flowers are 4–6 millimetres (0.16–0.24 in) long, and have sepal lobes that are around 1 millimetre (0.039 in) long. The male flowers have six stamens. The female flowers are 2–3 millimetres (0.079–0.118 in) long, and have a tube-shaped calyx which is around 2 millimetres (0.079 in) long, and a tube-shaped, 2–3 millimetres (0.079–0.118 in) long corolla.

The fruits are purple-black, 2–3.5 centimetres (0.79–1.38 in) long, and 1–2 centimetres (0.39–0.79 in) wide. The epicarp is smooth, the mesocarp is juicy, and the endocarp is ellipsoid.

References