Bactris turbinocarpa is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub or palm tree with spiny stems, six to thirteen leaves, and purplish fruits. The species is native to Suriname and Brazil.
Bactris turbinocarpa was described in 1875. The IUCN lists it as Least Concern, although no specimens have been collected since the 1960s.
Taxonomy The species was described by João Barbosa Rodrigues in 1875.
Distribution Bactris turbinocarpa is native to the wet tropical biome of Suriname and Brazil (Pará). Its extent of occurrence is around . The species grows in the Guianan moist forests and Uatuma–Trombetas moist forests, at elevations of up to .
Description Bactris turbinocarpa is a shrub or palm tree. The stems are high, wide, and spiny.
The plant has six to thirteen leaves. The leaves are linear-lanceolate, and have fifteen to twenty-two regularly arranged pinnae on each side. The leaves have scattered black spines up to long. The leaf stem is long.
The flower stems are long, and curved.
The fruits are purplish, obovoid, long, and wide, and covered in short spines. The mesocarp is juicy, and the endocarp is turbinate.
Conservation In 2009, the IUCN assessed Bactris turbinocarpa as of Least Concern. The species was previously assessed as Vulnerable in Suriname, and as Endangered in Brazil. No specimens have been collected since the 1960s. The species' habitat is relatively intact, and includes the Central Suriname Nature Reserve and the Rio Trombetas Biological Reserve.
References