Attalea crassispatha facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Attalea crassispatha |
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| A group of young trees at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, Coral Gables, Florida, United States | |
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Attalea
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crassispatha
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The Attalea crassispatha is a special type of palm tree. It grows only in the southwest part of Haiti. This palm is very rare and is considered a critically endangered species. In fact, it's one of the rarest palms in all of the Americas.
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What is the Attalea crassispatha Palm Like?
The Attalea crassispatha palm has a single, tall stem. This stem can grow up to 20 metres (66 ft) (about 65 feet) high. It is grey and can be up to 35 centimetres (14 in) (about 14 inches) wide. The stem might be straight like a column or a bit wider at its base or middle.
Each palm has about 15 to 19 large leaves. These leaves are "pinnately compound," which means they look like feathers. They have many small leaflets arranged in rows along a main stem. Each leaf has a part that wraps around the trunk (the leaf sheath). It also has a main stalk (the rachis) where the leaflets grow. A smaller stalk (the petiole) connects the sheath to the rachis.
The leaf sheath does not fully close around the trunk. When a leaf falls off, its sheath comes off cleanly. The sheath and petiole together are about 1.3 to 1.35 m (4 ft 3 in to 4 ft 5 in) long. The main part of the leaf (the rachis) is 3.2 to 4 m (10 to 13 ft) long.
Flowers and Fruit
The palm's flowers grow in special clusters called "inflorescences." These flower clusters grow among the leaves. Some clusters have mostly male flowers, while others have a mix of male and female flowers.
Each flower cluster has a main stalk called a "peduncle." This stalk connects the cluster to the palm's stem. The peduncle is short, usually less than 20 cm (7.9 in) long. From the peduncle, a central stem (the rachis) branches out. Many smaller branches, called "rachillae," grow from this rachis. These rachillae are where the actual flowers are found. There can be hundreds of these small branches, each about 15 cm (5.9 in) long.
When the fruit is ready, it turns reddish. The seeds inside are about 2 cm (0.79 in) long and 2 cm (0.79 in) wide. They are covered by a fleshy layer (the mesocarp) and a hard inner layer (the endocarp).
Where Does the Attalea crassispatha Palm Grow?
Sadly, not much natural plant life is left in Haiti. The Attalea crassispatha palm is found in places changed by people. These places include:
- Field gardens: These are areas where crops are grown for a few years. Then, they are often turned into grazing land for animals.
- Courtyard gardens: These gardens are usually near homes. They grow crops that live for many years, often in richer soil.
- Shrub forests: These are small areas of new forest growth. They are often on dry, rocky land that isn't good for farming.
Experts Joel Timyan and Samuel Reep believe that courtyard gardens offer the best chance for these palms to survive and grow new plants. They found almost no new palms growing naturally in field gardens.
How Scientists Study and Name the Attalea Palm
The Attalea crassispatha palm is very unique. It is the only species of its kind found so far away from its relatives. Most other Attalea palms grow in Central America or South America. The only other Attalea palms in the Caribbean are found far away in Trinidad and Tobago.
Because it is so rare and isolated, this palm is very interesting to scientists. Studies of its DNA, published in 2009, show how special it is. They confirmed that Attalea crassispatha is related to other Attalea groups but is like a distant cousin to them all.
History of Its Name
A French botanist named Charles Plumier first saw this palm in Haiti in 1689. He wrote about it in 1703. Later, in 1884, Carl Friedrich Philipp von Martius used Plumier's notes to give the palm its first scientific name. He placed it in the genus Maximiliana.
In 1929, another scientist, Max Burret, moved the palm to the Attalea genus. Then, in 1939, Orator F. Cook tried to put it in a new genus called Bornoa. He named it after Louis Borno, a former President of Haiti. However, Cook didn't follow all the rules for naming plants, so the name Bornoa wasn't officially accepted.
Scientists like Liberty Hyde Bailey kept the palm in the Attalea genus. More recently, scientists have agreed that all these related palms should stay together in the single genus Attalea.
Common Names
People in Haiti have many local names for this palm. Some of them are carossier, carroussier, côrossié, petit coco, kawosie, ti koko, kowos, kokowos, kolowosh, and kowos etranjè.
How People Use the Attalea Palm
The Attalea crassispatha palm is useful in several ways:
- Edible Seeds: The seeds can be eaten. People say they taste like coconut but are richer and denser.
- Cooking Oil: The nuts from the palm are also a good source of oil for cooking.
- Animal Feeders: The large leaf parts (called bracts) are sometimes used as bowls to feed pigs.
- Building and Weaving: The leaves can be used for making roofs (thatch) or for weaving. However, people usually only use them if other common fan palms are not available.
- Lumber: The palm's wood can be used as lumber.
- Boundary Markers: Farmers sometimes use these palms to mark the edges of their fields. This is because the palms live a long time and can survive strong storms like hurricanes.
Protecting the Attalea Palm
As of 2018, the Attalea crassispatha palm was listed as a critically endangered species. This means it is at very high risk of disappearing forever. There were thought to be fewer than 50 mature palms left in the wild. Because of its tiny population, it's known as one of the rarest palms in the Americas.
People are working hard to save this palm. They are planting new seedlings both in Haiti and in other countries. In 1991, seeds were sent to botanic gardens in 12 different countries. This helps to grow more palms and protect them for the future.
See also
In Spanish: Attalea crassispatha para niños
