Aiphanes linearis Burret

Bernal, R., G. Galeano, A. Rodríguez, H. Sarmiento y M. Gutiérrez. 2017. Nombres Comunes de las Plantas de Colombia. http://www.biovirtual.unal.edu.co/nombrescomunes/

Vernacular

chascaray, chirca, chonta, cirquí, corocito de agua, corozo de agüita

Vernacular

Chascaray, chirca. Cirquí, corocito de agua, corozo de agüita, (Antioquia); chonta (Valle).

Distribution

Endemic to Colombia, where it is found in the northern part of Cordillera Central and on the western slopes of Cordillera Occidental from the department of Antioquia to the department of Valle, in humid to wet, lower montane forest, often cloud forest, at 1800-2600 m. Often left in pasture.

General Description

Caespitose with up to 15 stems, these 5-10 m tall, 4-12 cm diam., densely armed with black, applanate spines, to 35 cm long. Leaves 5-9, distichous, erect and arching; sheath 46-220 cm long, densely armed with black, applanate spines, to 12 cm long; petiole 0-34 cm long, armed like the sheath; rachis 99-239 cm long, covered with purple spinules, with black spines at least abaxially; pinnae 35-48 per side, inserted in groups of (1-)2-9 separated by 4-15 cm, in different planes or sometimes distally in one plane, linear to narrowly cuneate, 6-12 times as long as wide, obliquely praemorse at apex, with a 0-2 cm long finger-like projection on the distal margin, adaxially glabrous, abaxially glabrous or minutely spinulose, margins lined with short spinules; basal pinnae 23-64.5 x 1-6 cm; middle pinnae 23-91 x 4-9 cm; apical pinnae 2-6 ribbed, 14-55 x 1.5-15 cm. Inflorescence erect at anthesis, curved in fruit, 1-2 m long; prophyll 15-92 cm long, abaxially densely covered with black spinules and spines, to 2 cm long; peduncular bract 57-200 cm long, 5.5-19 cm wide, thick, woody, persistent, densely covered with black and yellow spinules and fewer spines, to 2 cm long; peduncle 34-85 cm long, at anthesis 2-3 cm in diam. at junction with rachis, thicker in fruit, nearly unarmed to densely armed with black spines, to 6 cm long, with 1-4 rudimentary peduncular bracts, to 18 cm long; rachis 16-87 cm long, unarmed, with a thin brown indument; rachillae 35-80, densely spinulose, each subtended by a minute or up to 3.5 cm long bract; basal rachillae 16-56 cm long, basally without flowers for up to 4 cm, with triads for ?4- ? of the length, in this part thickened, up to 10 mm diam., distally slender, 1-2 mm diam., with densely packed dyads of staminate flowers; apical rachillae 9-26 cm long, staminate; flower groups sunken into shallow to deep pits in the rachillae, subtended by a 1-2 mm long bract; each flower in addition subtended by an up to 10 mm long bracteole resembling the pistillate sepals. Staminate flowers violet, 2-4 mm long, those of triads largest, with an up to 10 mm long pedicel, those of dyads smaller, sessile or shortly pedicellate; sepals nearly free, narrowly triangular, 1.5-2.6 mm long; petals briefly connate at base, valvate, 2-3.5 mm long; filaments ca. 1.5 mm long, anthers linear, 1.-1.5 mm long; pistillode minute, trifid. Pistillate flowers white with violet apex, 9-15 mm long; sepals rounded, imbricate, covered with yellow spinules, 6-10 x 6-10 mm, often nearly enclosing the petals; petals connate for ca. ½ of their length, imbricate distally, sparsely covered with yellow spinules on the basal half of the outer side, 9-16 x 6-9 mm, corolla lobes reflexed at anthesis; staminodial cup 7-13 mm high, almost truncate, adnate to corolla tube; pistil 11-13 mm long, densely covered with yellow, applanate spines, ca. 3 mm long. Fruits densely packed, 22-45 x 18-35 mm, angular-turbinate from mutual pressures, covered with golden, ca. 1 cm long spines; endocarp acute at base, 17-35 x 16-28 mm, shallowly pitted and irregularly furrowed.

Distribution

Biogeografic region: Andean. Elevation range: 1800–2600 m a.s.l. Endemic to Colombia. Colombian departments: Antioquia, Valle del Cauca.

Habit

Shrub, Tree, Caespitose palm.

Conservation

IUCN Red List Assessment (2021): LC. National Red List of Colombia (2021): LC.

Ecology

Habitat according IUCN Habitats Classification: forest and woodland, savanna, artificial - terrestrial.

Vernacular

Corozo de agüita

IUCN Red List of Threatened Species https://www.iucnredlist.org/species/38945/67530325

Conservation

LC - least concern

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation

Predicted extinction risk: threatened. Confidence: low confidence

Use Food

Used for food.

Use Medicines

Medical uses.