''Brassiophoenix'' is a
monoecious
Monoecy (; adj. monoecious ) is a sexual system in seed plants where separate male and female cones or flowers are present on the same plant. It is a monomorphic sexual system alongside gynomonoecy, andromonoecy and trimonoecy.
Monoecy is conne ...
genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of extant taxon, living and fossil organisms as well as Virus classification#ICTV classification, viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus com ...
of
flowering plant
Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...
in the
palm
Palm most commonly refers to:
* Palm of the hand, the central region of the front of the hand
* Palm plants, of family Arecaceae
**List of Arecaceae genera
* Several other plants known as "palm"
Palm or Palms may also refer to:
Music
* Palm (ba ...
family found in
Papua New Guinea
Papua New Guinea (abbreviated PNG; , ; tpi, Papua Niugini; ho, Papua Niu Gini), officially the Independent State of Papua New Guinea ( tpi, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niugini; ho, Independen Stet bilong Papua Niu Gini), is a country i ...
. Of the two similar species, one is more common in cultivation and was mistakenly identified as ''
Brassiophoenix schumannii''. In 1999, Zona and Estig showed that the commonly cultivated species was instead the type species ''
Brassiophoenix drymophoeoides''. The two species are distinguished by their separated geographical locations and minor differences in fruit form.
[Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) ''An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms''. Portland: Timber Press. / ] The genus name is a combination of the surname Brass, honoring the first collector
L.J. Brass, and ''
Phoenix
Phoenix most often refers to:
* Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore
* Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States
Phoenix may also refer to:
Mythology
Greek mythological figures
* Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
'', another palm genus.
Description
Both species grow to around 9 m in height on 8 cm trunks culminating in 60 cm tall, slightly bulging
crownshaft
An elongated circumferential leaf base formation present on some species of palm is called a crownshaft.
The leaf bases of some pinnate leaved palms (most notable being ''Roystonea regia'' or the royal palm but also including the genera ''Areca' ...
s and sparse leaf crowns. The stiff, unarching
leaves
A leaf (plural, : leaves) is any of the principal appendages of a vascular plant plant stem, stem, usually borne laterally aboveground and specialized for photosynthesis. Leaves are collectively called foliage, as in "autumn foliage", wh ...
are
pinnate
Pinnation (also called pennation) is the arrangement of feather-like or multi-divided features arising from both sides of a common axis. Pinnation occurs in biological morphology, in crystals, such as some forms of ice or metal crystals, and in ...
to 2 m in length,
petioles short or absent, the pinnae being regularly spaced and diamond-shaped, 30 cm long and dark green in color. The leaflets are thrice lobed, the center lobe being deepest, forming unusual jagged apices. The
inflorescences
An inflorescence is a group or cluster of flowers arranged on a Plant stem, stem that is composed of a main branch or a complicated arrangement of branches. Morphology (biology), Morphologically, it is the modified part of the shoot of sperma ...
emerge from beneath the crownshaft, twice branched, with furry ropes of male and female
flowers
A flower, sometimes known as a bloom or blossom, is the reproductive structure found in flowering plants (plants of the division Angiospermae). The biological function of a flower is to facilitate reproduction, usually by providing a mechani ...
. ''Brassiophoenix''
fruit
In botany, a fruit is the seed-bearing structure in flowering plants that is formed from the ovary after flowering.
Fruits are the means by which flowering plants (also known as angiosperms) disseminate their seeds. Edible fruits in particu ...
matures to yellow, orange, or red in color, each with one
seed
A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...
.
[Uhl, Natalie W. and Dransfield, John (1987) ''Genera Palmarum - A classification of palms based on the work of Harold E. Moore''. Lawrence, Kansas: Allen Press. / ]
Distribution and habitat
These palms grow in the mixed lowland
rain forest
Rainforests are characterized by a closed and continuous tree canopy, moisture-dependent vegetation, the presence of epiphytes and lianas and the absence of wildfire. Rainforest can be classified as tropical rainforest or temperate rainforest ...
of Papua New Guinea.
Cultivation
While ''Brassiophoenix'' palms are not widespread, they have been in cultivation for many years. As with many rain forest palms, they are not tolerant of full sun in youth but will withstand it in maturity. They also require generous amounts of water and a fast-draining, rich soil. Given their
tropical
The tropics are the regions of Earth surrounding the Equator. They are defined in latitude by the Tropic of Cancer in the Northern Hemisphere at N and the Tropic of Capricorn in
the Southern Hemisphere at S. The tropics are also referred to ...
origins they also require protection from cold when cultivated.
References
External links
''Brassiophoenix'' - GBIF Portal''Brassiophoenix'' on NPGS/GRINFairchild Guide to Palms: ''Brassiophoenix''
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709967
Arecaceae genera
Endemic flora of Papua New Guinea
Trees of Papua New Guinea
Ptychospermatinae
Taxa named by Max Burret