Bactris balanophora is a species of flowering plant in the family Arecaceae. It is a shrub or tree with black prickles, compound leaves, and orange fruits. The species is native to Brazil, Colombia, and Venezuela.
Bactris balanophora was described in 1869, and is listed as of Least Concern by the IUCN.
Taxonomy The species was described by Richard Spruce in 1869.
Distribution Bactris balanophora is native to the wet tropical biome of northern Brazil (Amazonas), Colombia (Amazonas and Vaupés), and Venezuela (Amazonas).
The species grows at elevations of up to .
Description Bactris balanophora is a shrub or tree that grows high, and wide. It has black prickles that are up to long. The stems are in clumps of two to six.
The plant has five to eight leaves, which grow on stems. The leaves are compound, and have fifteen to twenty-one pinnae on each side. The pinnae are linear-lanceolate, and irregularly clustered in groups of two to five.
The inflorescence stems are long, curved, and spiny. The male flowers are long, and have long sepal lobes. The petals of the male flowers have six stamens. The female flowers are up to long, and have a cup-shaped calyx, which is around long. The corolla is tube-shaped, and up to long.
The fruits are long, wide, ovoid or obovoid, and orange when mature. The epicarp is smooth, the mesocarp is starchy, and the endocarp is obovoid.
Ecology Bactris balanophora is eaten by the red acouchi and red-rumped agouti.
Conservation In 2022, the IUCN assessed Bactris balanophora as of Least Concern.
Uses Bactris balanophora is used for food, medicine, and poison.
Nomenclature In Spanish, the species is known as or .
References