Bactris
Encyclopedia
Bactris is a genus
of about 240 species
in the palm family, Arecaceae
, native to Central
and South America
, and the Caribbean
. They are tree
s growing to 4-20 m tall. The leaves
are up to 5 m long, and pinnate with numerous leaflets. The fruit
is a drupe
, 2-6 cm long, edible in some species.
Selected species
Genus
In biology, a genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the biological classification of living and fossil organisms, which is an example of definition by genus and differentia...
of about 240 species
Species
In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring. While in many cases this definition is adequate, more precise or differing measures are...
in the palm family, Arecaceae
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
, native to Central
Central America
Central America is the central geographic region of the Americas. It is the southernmost, isthmian portion of the North American continent, which connects with South America on the southeast. When considered part of the unified continental model, it is considered a subcontinent...
and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and the Caribbean
Caribbean
The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...
. They are tree
Tree
A tree is a perennial woody plant. It is most often defined as a woody plant that has many secondary branches supported clear of the ground on a single main stem or trunk with clear apical dominance. A minimum height specification at maturity is cited by some authors, varying from 3 m to...
s growing to 4-20 m tall. The leaves
Leaf
A leaf is an organ of a vascular plant, as defined in botanical terms, and in particular in plant morphology. Foliage is a mass noun that refers to leaves as a feature of plants....
are up to 5 m long, and pinnate with numerous leaflets. The fruit
Fruit
In broad terms, a fruit is a structure of a plant that contains its seeds.The term has different meanings dependent on context. In non-technical usage, such as food preparation, fruit normally means the fleshy seed-associated structures of certain plants that are sweet and edible in the raw state,...
is a drupe
Drupe
In botany, a drupe is a fruit in which an outer fleshy part surrounds a shell of hardened endocarp with a seed inside. These fruits develop from a single carpel, and mostly from flowers with superior ovaries...
, 2-6 cm long, edible in some species.
Selected species
- Bactris acanthocarpa
- Bactris bifida
- Bactris brogniartii
- Bactris coloniataBactris coloniataBactris coloniata is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Colombia, Panama, and Peru.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Bernal, R. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Bactris constanciaeBactris constanciaeBactris constanciae is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found in Brazil, French Guiana, Guyana, and Suriname.-References:* de Granville, J.J 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Bactris cruegeriana
- Bactris cubensisBactris cubensisBactris cubensis is a species of palm endemic to the Nipe-Baracoa Massif and eastern Sierra Maestra in eastern Cuba at elevations between 40 and 700 metres above sea level. B. cubensis trees grow 2.7 to 6.4 m tall in clumps of 6 to 12 stems....
- Bactris ferruginea
- Bactris gasipaesBactris gasipaesBactris gasipaes is a species of palm native to the tropical forests of South and Central America.There are numerous common names for this plant in several languages and many countries...
(Pupunha, Pejibaye) - Bactris guineensis
- Bactris glandulosa
- Bactris glaucescens
- Bactris gracilior
- Bactris grayumi
- Bactris hirta
- Bactris jamaicanaBactris jamaicanaBactris jamaicana is a species of palm endemic to Jamaica.According to Salzman and Judd B. jamaicana forms a clade with B. plumeriana and B. cubensis, the other Greater Antillean Bactris species....
- Bactris longisetaBactris longisetaThe Huiscoyol is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in Costa Rica.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Johnson, D. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
(Huiscoyol) - Bactris majorBactris majorBactris major is a small to medium sized spiny palm which ranges from Mexico, through Central America into northern South America and Trinidad...
- Bactris mexicana
- Bactris militaris
- Bactris nancibensisBactris nancibensisBactris nancibensis is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in French Guiana.It is threatened by habitat loss....
- Bactris pickeliiBactris pickeliiBactris pickelii is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in Brazil.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:* Noblick, L. 1998. . Downloaded on 20 July 2007....
- Bactris pilosa
- Bactris plumerianaBactris plumerianaBactris plumeriana is a species of palm endemic to Hispaniola.According to Salzman and Judd B. plumeriana forms a clade with B. cubensis and B. jamaicana, the other Greater Antillean Bactris species.-References:...
- Bactris setifloraBactris setifloraBactris setiflora is a species of flowering plant in the Arecaceae family.It is found only in Ecuador.Its natural habitat is subtropical or tropical moist lowland forests.It is threatened by habitat loss.-References:...
- Bactris setosa
- Bactris simplicifronsBactris simplicifronsBactris simplicifrons is a is a small palm which is found in Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Bolivia....
- Bactris wendlandiana