''Heterospathe'' is a
monoecious genus
Genus ( plural genera ) is a taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms as well as viruses. In the hierarchy of biological classification, genus comes above species and below family. In binomial nom ...
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
Oceania
Oceania (, , ) is a geographical region that includes Australasia, Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia. Spanning the Eastern and Western hemispheres, Oceania is estimated to have a land area of and a population of around 44.5 million ...
, where it is called sagisi palm. With 39
species
In biology, a species is the basic unit of classification and a taxonomic rank of an organism, as well as a unit of biodiversity. A species is often defined as the largest group of organisms in which any two individuals of the appropriate s ...
, ''Heterospathe'' is named from a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
combination of "various" and "spathe", which describes the two distinct bract types.
Description
They exhibit considerable variation in morphology and habit; the slender trunks may be solitary or sparsely to densely clustering, some are miniatures and perpetual undergrowth subjects while others contribute to the canopy top. The trunks are ringed by leaf scars and end in a poorly defined or absent
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' ...
. The
leaves are usually
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 ...
, rarely bifid, from small to large, and frequently red colored when new.
The
inflorescence
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 ...
is interfoliar but will hang pendent nearing antithesis. It may be branched from one to four orders with short white to yellow branches of spirally arranged, male and female
flower
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 ...
s. Ellipsoidal to spherical, the
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 ...
ripen to various shades of orange and red and contain a single
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 ...
.
[Riffle, Robert L. and Craft, Paul (2003) ''An Encyclopedia of Cultivated Palms''. Portland: Timber Press. / ]
Distribution and habitat
''Heterospathe'' species are relatively widespread across the
Pacific's western edges with several in
New Guinea
New Guinea (; Hiri Motu: ''Niu Gini''; id, Papua, or , historically ) is the world's second-largest island with an area of . Located in Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the island is separated from Australia by the wide Torr ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, the
Solomon Islands
Solomon Islands is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 900 smaller islands in Oceania, to the east of Papua New Guinea and north-west of Vanuatu. It has a land area of , and a population of approx. 700,000. Its capit ...
, eastern
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
and
Micronesia
Micronesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania, consisting of about 2,000 small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It has a close shared cultural history with three other island regions: the Philippines to the west, Polynesia to the east, and ...
.
[Kew World Checklist of Selected Plant Families]
/ref>[ Across this range they inhabit ]montane
Montane ecosystems are found on the slopes of mountains. The alpine climate in these regions strongly affects the ecosystem because temperatures fall as elevation increases, causing the ecosystem to stratify. This stratification is a crucial ...
and 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 ...
, in some cases receiving total shade or filtered light
Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 te ...
while others mature into full sun with age; ''H. delicatula'' and ''H. humilis'' are found at high elevations in New Guinea's mountains. Being rain forest dwellers they are typically found in humus-rich soil.
Species
* '' Heterospathe annectens'' H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe arfakiana'' (Becc.) H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe barfodii'' L.M.Gardiner & W.J.Baker - Papua
* '' Heterospathe brevicaulis'' Fernando - Luzon
* '' Heterospathe cagayanensis'' Becc. - Luzon
* '' Heterospathe califrons'' Fernando - Philippines
* '' Heterospathe clemensiae'' (Burret) H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe compsoclada'' (Burret) Heatubun - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe delicatula'' H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe dransfieldii'' Fernando - Palawan
* '' Heterospathe elata'' Scheff - Philippines, Maluku, New Guinea, Micronesia
* '' Heterospathe elegans'' (Becc.) Becc. - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe elmeri'' Becc. - Philippines
* '' Heterospathe glabra'' (Burret) H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe glauca'' (Scheff.) H.E.Moore - Maluku
* '' Heterospathe intermedia'' (Becc.) Fernando - Philippines
* '' Heterospathe kajewskii'' Burret - Solomon Islands
* '' Heterospathe ledermanniana'' Becc. - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe lepidota'' H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe longipes'' (H.E.Moore) Norup - Fiji
* '' Heterospathe macgregorii'' (Becc.) H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe minor'' Burret - Solomon Islands
* '' Heterospathe muelleriana'' (Becc.) Becc. - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe negrosensis'' Becc. - Philippines
* '' Heterospathe obriensis'' (Becc.) H.E.Moore - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe parviflora'' Essig - Bismarck Archipelago
* '' Heterospathe philippinensis'' (Becc.) Becc. - Philippines
* '' Heterospathe phillipsii'' D.Fuller & Dowe - Fiji
* '' Heterospathe pilosa'' (Burret) Burret - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe porcata'' W.J.Baker & Heatubun - Western New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe pulchra'' H.E.Moore - Papua New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe pullenii'' M.S.Trudgen & W.J.Baker - Papua New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe ramulosa'' Burret - Solomon Islands
* '' Heterospathe salomonensis'' Becc. - Solomon Islands
* '' Heterospathe scitula'' Fernando - Luzon
* '' Heterospathe sensisi'' Becc. - Solomon Islands
* '' Heterospathe sibuyanensis'' Becc. - Sibuyan
* '' Heterospathe sphaerocarpa'' Burret - New Guinea
* '' Heterospathe trispatha'' Fernando - Luzon
* '' Heterospathe uniformis'' Dowe - Vanuatu
* '' Heterospathe woodfordiana'' Becc. - Solomon Islands
Cultivation and uses
The colorful new foliage has increased their popularity in Australia though they are still uncommon there and more so in the United States where only one species is cultivated with any regularity. In any case, they naturally prefer surroundings resembling those in their range, particularly acidic soil
Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt
Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty.
Common types of dirt include:
* Debri ...
which is fast-draining, copious water
Water (chemical formula ) is an Inorganic compound, inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living ...
and protection from cold. The petioles and leaflets are woven and thatched, the palm heart is reportedly eaten, and fruit from ''H. elata'' is chewed as a betel substitute.[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. / ]
References
External links
''Heterospathe'' on NPGS/GRIN
Fairchild Images
Fairchild Guide to Palms
GBIF portal
{{Taxonbar, from=Q2709564
Areceae
Arecaceae genera