''Aiphanes horrida'' is a

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 ...

native to northern South America and

Trinidad and Tobago Trinidad and Tobago (, ), officially the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, is the southernmost island country in the Caribbean. Consisting of the main islands Trinidad and Tobago, and numerous much smaller islands, it is situated south of ...

. ''Aiphanes horrida'' is a solitary, spiny tree. In the wild it grows 3–10 metres tall (9–30 feet) tall with a stem diameter of 6–10 centimetres (2–4 inches); cultivated trees may be as much as 15 m (49') tall with a 15 cm (6") diameter. The

epicarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Aggr ...

and

mesocarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Aggre ...

of the fruit are rich in

carotene The term carotene (also carotin, from the Latin ''carota'', "carrot") is used for many related unsaturated hydrocarbon substances having the formula C40Hx, which are synthesized by plants but in general cannot be made by animals (with the exc ...

and are eaten in

Colombia Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...

, while the seeds are used to make candles. In parts of the Colombian

Llanos The Llanos (Spanish ''Los Llanos'', "The Plains"; ) is a vast tropical grassland plain situated to the east of the Andes in Colombia and Venezuela, in northwestern South America. It is an ecoregion of the tropical and subtropical grasslands, sav ...

endocarp Fruit anatomy is the plant anatomy of the internal structure of fruit. Fruits are the mature ovary or ovaries of one or more flowers. They are found in three main anatomical categories: aggregate fruits, multiple fruits, and simple fruits. Agg ...

s are used to play games. The range of the species is found in

dry forest Dry or dryness most often refers to: * Lack of rainfall, which may refer to **Arid regions **Drought * Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages * Dry humor, deadpan * Dryness (medical) ...

s between

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

and 1700 m (5600') above sea level in

Bolivia , image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg , flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center , flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

, Colombia,

Peru , image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg , image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg , other_symbol = Great Seal of the State , other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal , national_motto = "Fi ...

, Trinidad and Tobago and

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

, but is not native to

Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...

. The species is cultivated as an ornamental throughout the tropics. Many authors, including Henderson ''et al.'' (1995) and Borchenius and Bernal (1996) use ''A. aculeata'' rather than ''A. horrida'', giving Jacquin's description of ''

Caryota ''Caryota'' is a genus of palm trees. They are often known as fishtail palms because of the shape of their leaves. There are about 13 species native to Asia (China, India, Indonesia, etc.), northern Australia, and the South Pacific. One of the ...

horrida'' a publication date of 1809, three years after Willdenow's 1806 description. On the other hand, Govaerts ''et al.'' (2006) gives Jacquin's work a publication date of 1801, giving ''A. horrida'' priority over ''A. aculeata''.

Common names

''Aiphanes horrida'' is commonly known by a variety of names including ''Cocos rura'', ''Mararay'', ''Corozo'', ''Macagüita'', ''Marará'', ''Macahuite'', ''Corozo del Orinoco'', ''Corozo anchame'', ''Mararava'', ''Cubarro'', ''Chonta'', ''Chascaraza'', ''Charascal'', ''Corozo chiquito'', ''Corozo colorado'', ''Pujamo'', ''Gualte'', ''Chonta ruro'', ''Pupunha xicaxica'', Coyure palm, Ruffle palm, Aculeata palm and Spine palm.

Chemistry

The stilbenolignan aiphanol,

isorhapontigenin Isorhapontigenin is a tetrahydroxylated stilbenoid with a methoxy group. It is an isomer of rhapontigenin and an analog of resveratrol. It is found in the Chinese herb ''Gnetum cleistostachyum'', in ''Gnetum parvifolium'' and in the seeds of the pa ...

piceatannol Piceatannol is the organic compound with the formula . Classified as a stilbenoid and a phenol, it is a white solid, although samples often are yellow owing to impurities. Natural occurrences Piceatannol and its glucoside, astringin, are found i ...

and

luteolin Luteolin is a flavone, a type of flavonoid, with a yellow crystalline appearance. Luteolin is the principal yellow dye compound that is obtained from the plant ''Reseda luteola'', which has been used as a source of the dye since at least the fir ...

can be found in the seeds of ''Aiphanes aculeata''.

References

External links

Aiphanes horrida
PACSOA, the Palm and Cycad Society of Australia—includes images of the tree, foliage and fruit. {{Taxonbar, from=Q4697596 horrida Trees of Brazil Trees of Trinidad and Tobago Trees of Peru