Ceroxylon

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Andean wax palms
Ceroxylon quindiuense
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Monocots
Clade: Commelinids
Order: Arecales
Family: Arecaceae
Subfamily: Ceroxyloideae
Tribe: Ceroxyleae
Genus: Ceroxylon
Bonpl.
ex DC.
Type species
Ceroxylon alpinum
Synonyms[1]
  • Klopstockia H.Karst.
  • Beethovenia Engel

Ceroxylon is a genus of flowering plants in the family Arecaceae, native to the Andes in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, known as Andean wax palms.[1][2][3]

The species are almost exclusively

palm (and thus tallest monocotyledon), C. quindiuense, which reaches 61 m (200 ft) in height, and species growing at the highest altitude of the palm family (Arecaceae
), at more than 3,000 m (10,000 ft) in elevation.

The genus name is derived from Ancient Greek κηρός (kērós ("wax") and ξύλον (xúlon, "wood").

Description

Ceroxylon palms develop single, smooth, wax-covered, often whitish cylindrical trunks encircled by ringed leafbase scars. Ceroxylon species are

dioecious (the individual plant produces flowers of only one sex). Leaves are pinnate. Inflorescences emerge from among, and often project conspicuously beyond the leaves. Round fruits, up to one inch in diameter, are red or orange at maturity. Many Ceroxylon species are endangered by habitat destruction
.

Two species of Andean wax palms, C. quindiuense and C. alpinum, provide nesting sites and food for a species of Colombian parrot now in danger of extinction,

Ognorhynchus icterotis
.

Uses

In Colombia, Ceroxylon palms are frequently harvested for their wood. Ceroxylon palm leaves are also used in Palm Sunday ceremonies.[4]

Cultivation

Several Ceroxylon species, including C. quindiuense, C. alpinum, C. vogelianum, C. ventricosum, and C. parvifrons, are cultivated as

Oakland
, California.

Species

The genus contains the following species:[3]

Image Scientific name Distribution
Ceroxylon alpinum Bonpl. ex DC. Colombia, Venezuela
Ceroxylon amazonicum Galeano Ecuador
Ceroxylon ceriferum (H.Karst.) Pittier Colombia, Venezuela
Ceroxylon echinulatum Galeano Ecuador, Peru
Ceroxylon parvifrons (Engel) H.Wendl. Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia
Ceroxylon parvum Galeano Ecuador
Ceroxylon peruvianum Galeano, Sanín & K.Mejia Peru
Ceroxylon pityrophyllum (Mart.) Mart. ex H.Wendl. Peru, Bolivia
Ceroxylon quindiuense (H.Karst.) H.Wendl. Colombia
Ceroxylon sasaimae Galeano Antioquia, Cundinamarca
Ceroxylon ventricosum Burret Colombia, Ecuador
Ceroxylon vogelianum (Engel) H.Wendl. Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru

References

  1. ^ a b "World Checklist of Selected Plant Families: Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew". apps.kew.org. Retrieved 2016-01-19.
  2. ^ Govaerts, R. & Dransfield, J. (2005). World Checklist of Palms: 1-223. The Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.
  3. ^
    doi:10.11646/phytotaxa.34.1.1
    . Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. S2CID 30557398
    .

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ceroxylon.
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