Kingdom Plantae Family Arecaceae Scientific name Desmoncus polyacanthos | Order Arecales Genus Desmoncus Rank Species | |
Similar Desmoncus, Desmoncus orthacanthos, Geonoma deversa, Bactris maraja, Chelyocarpus ulei | ||
Desmoncus polyacanthos is a spiny, climbing palm native to the southern Caribbean and tropical South America. Stems grow clustered together, and are 2–12 m long and 0.5–2 cm in diameter. Petioles, rachis, cirrus and peduncular bracts are covered with short, curved spines. Two varieties are recognised: D. polyacanthos var. polyacanthos and D. polyacanthos var. prunifer (Poepp. ex Mart.) A.J.Hend.
Desmoncus polyacanthos is found in Colombia, Venezuela, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, French Guiana, Brazil, Bolivia, Ecuador and Peru. The stems are used for baskets and sieves.
References
Desmoncus polyacanthos Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA