''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is a species of palm in the genus ''

Phytelephas ''Phytelephas'' is a genus containing six known species of dioecious palms (family Arecaceae), occurring from southern Panama along the Andes to Ecuador, Bolivia, Colombia, northwestern Brazil, and Peru. They are commonly known as ivory palms, ...

''. The compound leaves are around 7 meters in length, with stem diameters of 10 cm. Brown,

ovulate Ovulation is the release of eggs from the ovaries. In women, this event occurs when the ovarian follicles rupture and release the secondary oocyte ovarian cells. After ovulation, during the luteal phase, the egg will be available to be fertilized ...

fruits of about 6 cm are produced. Palms of the ''Phytelephas'' genus are also referred to as

vegetable ivory Vegetable ivory or tagua nut is a product made from the very hard white endosperm of the seeds of certain palm trees. Vegetable ivory is named for its resemblance to animal ivory. Species in the genus ''Phytelephas'' (literally "elephant plan ...

palms.

Distribution and habitat

''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is distributed in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. The palms are distributed in the Amazon rainforest region in habitats of river plains and lowlands.

Human uses

Both humans and other animals have used the fruits produced by this species as food. In Ecuador, humans also have used leaves such as domestic or construction tools. In Peru, stems have been used for fences and houses and fruits have been used as medicine.

Phylogeny

'', or the vegetable ivory palms, are dispersed across South America. The clade has a total of eight species, and ''Phytelephas'' branches off to have six species. The phylogenetic relationships are not completely understood, so it is unclear which species of the vegetable ivory palms that ''P. tenuicaulis'' is most closely related to. However, it is believed to be the sister species of '' P. aequatorialis'' and '' P. tumacana''. Both are located in the Chocó Rainforest. However, despite the differences in

biogeography Biogeography is the study of the distribution of species and ecosystems in geographic space and through geological time. Organisms and biological communities often vary in a regular fashion along geographic gradients of latitude, elevation, ...

, they are all solitary species and closely share characteristics in their flowers and pollination mechanisms.

Vicariance Allopatric speciation () – also referred to as geographic speciation, vicariant speciation, or its earlier name the dumbbell model – is a mode of speciation that occurs when biological populations become geographically isolated from ...

is one method to explain the distribution and differences in some of the vegetable ivory palms across South America. The main biogeographic barrier involved is the

Andes Mountain range The Andes, Andes Mountains or Andean Mountains (; ) are the longest continental mountain range in the world, forming a continuous highland along the western edge of South America. The range is long, wide (widest between 18°S – 20°S l ...

. During the

Miocene The Miocene ( ) is the first geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about (Ma). The Miocene was named by Scottish geologist Charles Lyell; the name comes from the Greek words (', "less") and (', "new") and means "less recen ...

period, the vicariance event that is believed to lead to biotic diversification is the Andes Uplift. Before the uplift, the present day

Amazon Amazon most often refers to: * Amazons, a tribe of female warriors in Greek mythology * Amazon rainforest, a rainforest covering most of the Amazon basin * Amazon River, in South America * Amazon (company), an American multinational technology c ...

, Magdalena, and Chocó Rainforests are believed to have been one large rainforest. This event impacted climate, species diversification, and furthermore, evolution. Today, ''Phytelephas tenuicaulis'' is considered one of the Amazonian species, whereas other palm species, ''P. aequatorialis'' and ''P. tumacana'' are of the Chocoan Rainforest region after the split.

References

* * tenuicaulis {{Improve categories, date=May 2022