Arecaceae
Prestoea

Prestoea schultzeana (Burret) H.E.Moore

First published in Gentes Herbarum 12: 34 (1980)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is SE. Nicaragua to Central Peru. It is a shrub or tree and grows primarily in the wet tropical biome. It is used as animal food and a medicine, has social uses and for fuel and food.

Descriptions

General Description
Stems cespitose, rarely solitary, generally with 1 stem developed and basal shoots, but sometimes with to 10 stems, erect or leaning, 0.2-5 m tall, 3-5.5 cm diam., brown, often covered with persistent leaf bases, with a 30-70 cm high cone of roots visible at base. Leaves 4-10, spreading; sheath closed for ca. ½ its length and not forming a crownshaft, persistent on the stem, 37-50 cm long including a short ligule, with scattered, brown, flat scales; petiole 0.8-1.6 m long, densely whitish brown tomentose, glabrescent; rachis 1.2-2.2 m long, ridged adaxially, rounded abaxially, tomentose like petiole abaxially, glabrescent; pinnae (21-)33-38 per side, regularly spaced and horizontally spreading in the same plane, subopposite, linearlanceolate with an abruptly narrowed, ca. 6 cm long filiform apex, with midvein prominent adaxially and abaxially, several lateral veins present, lacking ramenta abaxially; basal pinna (23- )32-47 x 0.3-1.5 cm; middle pinnae (30-)46-58(-81) x 2-4.4(-6) cm; apical pinna 10-2 1(-40) x 0.5-2 cm. Inflorescences corymbose, interfoliar, arching; peduncle 45-80 cm long, 0.8-2 cm diam., almost terete, with flattened , branched, whitish or brownish hairs; prophyll 18- 37 cm long, 2 cm diam., flattened; peduncular bract 0.6-1.2 m long including a 12-14 cm long umbo, tubular, persistent, inserted 6-12 cm above insertion of prophyll; rachis 4-30 cm long, with hairs like those of peduncle; rachillae 5-13, spirally arranged, slightly swollen at base, proximal ones 20-75 cm long, distal ones 16-60 cm long, 1.5-3.5 mm diam. in flower, thickening to 2-3.5 mm in fruit, white at anthesis, becoming red in fruit, densely covered with whitish, branched, erect or flexuous hairs; flowers in triads proximally, paired or solitary staminate distally, white at anthesis; triad bracteole apiculate; first flower bracteole apiculate, second and third flower bracteoles prominent, ± equal, strongly apiculale 10 almost deltate, 0.5 mm high; staminate flowers 3-5 mm long; sepals deltate, acute at the apex, 1.5-1.7 mm long, keeled, minutely ciliate; petals lanceolate-ovate, 3-5 mm long, with white hairs abaxially; filaments 2-3 cm long, lanceolate, flattened, adnate proximally to petals; anthers 2-2.5 mm long; pistillode 3-3.5 mm long, deeply trifid at apex ; pistillate flowers 2-4 mm long; sepals very widely ovate, 2-3 mm long, ciliate, with whitish hairs abaxially; petals widely ovate, 3.5 mm long, glabrous, minutely ciliate; staminodes digitate or sometimes absent; fruits globose, 0.7- 1 cm diam., the stigmatic remains subapical to lateral; epicarp black at maturity, minutely tuberculate; seeds globose, 5-7 mm diam.; endosperm slightly ruminate; eophyll pinnate with elongate rachis. Understorey palm. Stems clustered, usually only one stem well-developed, but a number of stem-less juvenile shoots present at base. Leaf sheath open; petiole 80-160 cm long; blade 120-220 cm long; pinnae 30-40 on each side, the central ones 40-60 cm long and 2-5 cm wide, abrubtly narrowed into a filamentous, ca. 6 cm long point. Inflorescence with peduncle 40-80 cm long; rachis 5-30 cm long; branches 5-15, 30-70 cm long. Fruits black, globose 7-10 mm in diameter. Seedling leaves pinnately divided.
Distribution
Common throughout E Ecuador, mainly on poorly drained or regularly flooded ground. Eastern Andean foothills and western Amazon region of Colombia (Amazonas, Putumayo), Ecuador (Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza), and Peru (Amazonas, Loreto, Pasco); low-lying, flat areas subject to flooding, rarely on terra firme, usually near streams or rivers, usually below 400 m but occasionally to 900 m.
Vernacular
Ecuador: ca'hue (Secoya), chincha, giyikabemo (Waorani), na-í (Secoya), naí (Siona), naicá (Siona), palma de pantano.
[PW]

Distribution
Biogeografic region: Amazonia, Andean. Elevation range: 100–1100 m a.s.l. Native to Colombia. Colombian departments: Amazonas, Cauca, Putumayo.
Habit
Shrub, Caespitose palm.
Conservation
National Red List of Colombia (2021): LC.
Ecology
Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, wetlands (inland).
[UPFC]

Bernal, R., Gradstein, S.R. & Celis, M. (eds.). 2015. Catálogo de plantas y líquenes de Colombia. Instituto de Ciencias Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Colombia, Bogotá. http://catalogoplantasdecolombia.unal.edu.co

Distribution
Nativa en Colombia; Alt. 100 - 1100 m.; Amazonia, Andes.
Morphology General Habit
Arbusto, palma cespitosa
Conservation
Preocupación Menor
[CPLC]

Uses

Use
The leaves are occasionally used to thatch temporary shelters; the seeds are used in blowguns to shoot small birds (Waorani). In Peru (Ameshua), the roots are used to make tea to treat diarrhea or are rubbed on rashes (Salick 7085).
[PW]

Use Animal Food
Used as animal food.
Use Fuel
Used for fuels.
Use Food
Used for food.
Use Materials
Used as material.
Use Medicines
Medical uses.
Use Social
Social uses.
[UPFC]

Sources

  • Catálogo de Plantas y Líquenes de Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Colombian resources for Plants made Accessible

    • ColPlantA 2021. Published on the Internet at http://colplanta.org
    • https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • Kew Backbone Distributions

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2023. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2022 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Palmweb - Palms of the World Online

    • Palmweb 2011. Palmweb: Palms of the World Online. Published on the internet http://www.palmweb.org. Accessed on 21/04/2013
    • Content licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Useful Plants and Fungi of Colombia

    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0