Aiphanes grandis
Borchs. & Balslev
Arecaceae
Common Name:
Crown of flowering plant
Photograph by: AAU palm archive'
Image credit to Palmweb
General Information
Aiphanes grandis is a solitary-stemmed evergreen palm tree growing up to 20 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 10 - 20cm in diameter, topped with a crown of leaves that can each be up to 250cm long. Both the stem and the leaves are fiercely armed with long, black spines[
].
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food.
Endemic to Ecuador, this species is only known from four isolated subpopulations in the Andes. It is under threat from habitat destruction and its population is decreasing. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
].
Known Hazards
None known
Botanical References
Range
S. America - Ecuador.
Habitat
Forests and cloud forests in the Andes at elevations from 1,000 - 3,000 metres[
338- Title
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Publication
-
- Author
-
- Website
- http://www.iucnredlist.org/
- Publisher
-
- Year
- 0
- ISBN
-
- Description
- A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat.
,
].
Properties
| Conservation Status | Endangered |
| Edibility Rating |  |
| Habit | Evergreen Tree |
| Height | 15.00 m |
| Cultivation Status | Wild |
Cultivation Details
The tree is often left over when the forest is converted into pasture, but as with other palm species, it is unable to regenerate in a tall grass-dominated vegetation.Furthermore, local farmers may object to its presence due to the fiercely armed stem and leaves that constitute a problem to grazing cattle and hence try to eradicate it from their pasture fields[
].
Edible Uses
Leaves - cooked[
]. The apical bud, known as a 'palm heart' is eaten as a vegetable[
]. Harvesting this bud leads to the death of the stem (and in single-stemmed palm trees, to the death of the plant) since it is unable to make side shoots[
K- Title
- Plants for a Future
- Author
- Ken Fern
- Description
- Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
].
The seeds are sometimes pureed and cooked with crude cane sugar to form a nougat-like paste[
].
Medicinal
None known
Other Uses
None known
Propagation
Seed - sow in a semi-shaded position[
768- Title
- Field Guide to the Palms of the Americas
- Publication
-
- Author
- Henderson A.; Galeano G.; Bernal R.
- Publisher
- Princeton University Press; Princeton, New Jersey.
- Year
- 1995
- ISBN
- 0-691-08537-4
- Description
- An excellent book, giving basic information on all the 550 species of palms native to the Americas that were known in 1995. Comprehensive information on the plants range and habitat, brief description, some uses and almost 250 photos.
].
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Useful Tropical Plants Database 2014 by
Ken Fern,
web interface by
Ajna Fern
with help from
Richard Morris.
