Acoelorrhaphe

taxobox
name = "Acoelorrhaphe wrightii"


image_caption = Stand of fruiting specimens
regnum = Plantae
unranked_divisio = Angiosperms
unranked_classis = Monocots
unranked_ordo = Commelinids
ordo = Arecales
familia = Arecaceae
subfamilia = Coryphoideae
tribus = Corypheae
genus = "Acoelorrhaphe"
genus_authority = H.Wendl.H.A. Wendland Botanische Aeitung 37:148. 1879 Tpe:"A. wrightii"]
species = "A. wrightii"
binomial = "Acoelorrhaphe wrightii"
binomial_authority = (Griseb. & H.Wendl.) H.Wendl. ex Becc.|

"Acoelorrhaphe" is a genus of palms, comprising the single species "Acoelorrhaphe wrightii" (Paurotis palm, also known as the Everglades palm, Madiera palm and Silver saw palmetto).Germplasm Resources Information Network: [http://www.ars-grin.gov/~sbmljw/cgi-bin/taxon.pl?1326 "Acoelorrhaphe wrightii"] ] Kew Checklist of Palms: [http://www.kew.org/wcsp/qsearch.do?plantName=Acoelorrhaphe&page=quickSearch "Acoelorrhaphe"] ] International Plant Names Index (IPNI): [http://www.ipni.org/ipni/plantsearch?id=31065-1&query_type=by_id&output_format=object_view&back_page=plantsearch&ret_wholeName=Acoelorrhaphe "Acoelorrhaphe"] ] Palm & Cycad Societies of Florida: [http://www.plantapalm.com/vpe/photos/Species/acoelorrhaphe_wrightii.htm "Acoelorrhaphe wrightii"] ]

It is native to Central America, southeastern Mexico, the West Indies, the Bahamas, and extreme southern Florida where it grows in swamps or periodically flooded forests. It is a small to moderately tall palm that grows in clusters to 5-7 m, rarely 9 m tall, with slender stems less than 15 cm diameter. The leaves are palmate (fan-shaped), with segments joined to each other for about half of their length, and are 1–2 m wide, light-green above, and silver underneath. The leaf petiole is 1–1.2 m long, and has orange, curved, sharp teeth along the edges. The flowers are minute, inconspicuous and greenish, with 6 stamens. The trunk is covered with fibrous matting. The fruit is pea-sized, starting orange and turning to black at maturity."Flora of North America": [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=100289 genus account] and [http://www.efloras.org/florataxon.aspx?flora_id=1&taxon_id=222000001 species account] ] Huxley, A., ed. (1992). "New RHS Dictionary of Gardening". Macmillan ISBN 0-333-47494-5.]

The genus name is often cited as "Acoelorraphe",USDA Plants Profile: [http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=ACWR4 "Acoelorraphe wrightii"] ] a grammatical error to be corrected under the provisions of the ICBN. The genus name is a combination of three Greek words meaning "a-" 'without', "koilos" 'hollow', and "rhaphis" 'needle', an allusion to the form of the fruit. The species is named after the American botanist Charles Henry Wright.

Cultivation and uses

The Paurotis palm was formerly plentiful in Florida, but many plants were taken for the nursery trade. The palm is now protected in the wild by Florida law. Trees propagated from seed or by sawing apart the base of a cluster are available in nurseries. It is hardy in most of the Florida peninsula, and salt-tolerant.Bush, Charles S. and Morton, Julia F. (1969) Native Trees and Plants for Florida Landscaping (pp.11-12). Department of Agriculture - State of Florida.]

References