Trithrinax campestris
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| Caranday palm | ||||||||||||||
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 Trithrinax campestris in a garden, grown as ornamental palm
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| Trithrinax campestris (Burmeist.) Drude & Griseb. |
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Copernicia campestris |
Trithrinax campestris or caranday palm is a South American arecaceae palm native of uruguayan and northeastern argentinean sabanas, where it shares its habitat with Copernicia alba among others. It is a very rustic palm that grows in arid, well drained, rocky soils. Its distinctive features are its compact shape, short green to grayish foliage, and trunk fully hidden by dry dead branches (coat) remaining from several previous seasons.
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[edit] Morphology
T. campestris is a monocot flowering palm of relative low height (up to 6 m tall) and 20-25 cm wide stems usually covered by remains of earlier foliage that act as a thick protective coat. Caranday leaves are about 1 m long, palmate, rounded, with a very rigid and spiny petiole.
The leaflet segments are rigid, dark green to a more blue hue, with light green undersides. These are possibly the toughest leaves among arecaceae. As habitat altitude increases the foliage becomes more grayish, this is typical of mountain carandays. Flowers compose highly branched inflorescences located at the base of the lower living leaves. These contain up to 100 white hermaphrodite flowers 10 to 12 mm wide. This palm flowers in autumn. Fruits ripen towards the end of the next summer. They consist of subspherical yellow brownish drupes, 1 to 2 cm wide, with a thin fleshy mesocarp and a fibrous endocarp. Caranday is monoecious, a feature common to the conifers but rare in angiosperms.[1]
[edit] Habitat
T. campestris prefers well drained, sandy or rocky soils (although it is ignorant to extended persistent flooding).[2] It is very resistant to draught, and -9ºC/-15ºC temperatures when not in growing season; else leaves are promptly discarded. Seeds germinate quickly but later growth is mostly slow.
This palms are naturally found in groups, formations of several individuals or composing largue caranday forests where they present strong dominance. Its main environmental threat is deforestation or natural fire, caranday thick dry stem coats are highly flammable.[3]
[edit] Usage
Leaves are rich in strong fiber, very resistant to tension. It is extracted to manufacture crafts as hats, shoes and fans. Whole leafs are cut and used as rudimentary brushes. Fruits are not eaten, however, an alcoholic beverage is prepared locally through their fermentation. Caranday palms are also appreciated and grown worldwide as an easy to keep, cold weather and drought resistant, ornamental small palm.
[edit] External links
[edit] References
- ^ Molnar, Sebastian. 2004. Plant Reproductive Systems, internet version posted February 17, 2004
- ^ Burkart, A. 1979. Flora ilustrada de Entre Ríos. Col. Cient. INTA VI (5). Buenos Aires.
- ^ Rojas, A. & Saluso, J.H. 1987. Informe Climático de la Provincia de Entre Ríos. INTA EEA Paraná,Nº 14. Entre Ríos, Argentina.
