Syagrus botryophora
Syagrus botryophora
The pati queen palm or slender queen palm (Syagrus botryophora (Mart.) Mart. 1845) is an arboreal species belonging to the Arecaceae family.
Systematic –
From a systematic point of view it belongs to:
Eukaryota domain,
Kingdom Plantae,
Division Magnoliophyta,
Class Liliopsida,
Subclass Arecidae,
Order Arecales,
Arecaceae family,
Subfamily Arecoideae,
Cocoseae Tribe,
Subtribe Butiinae,
Genus Syagrus,
S. botryophora species.
The term is basionym:
– Cocos botryophora Mart..
The terms are synonymous:
– Arecastrum romanoffianum var. botryophorum (Mart.) Becc.;
– Calappa botryophora (Mart.) Kuntze.
Etymology –
The term Syagrus is of uncertain origin; the most accredited hypothesis is that it derives from the name syagrus given by Pliny the Elder (23/24 AD – 79) to a variety of date palm.
The specific epithet botryophora comes from the Greek terms “βότρυς” (botrys), i.e. bunch and “φορέω” (phoreo), i.e. bring, with probable reference to the compact infructescences.
Geographic Distribution and Habitat –
Syagrus botryophora is a palm endemic to Brazil, with particular reference to the areas of Bahia, Espirito Santo and Sergipe.
Its natural habitat is that of lowland rainforest on lateritic and clayey soils at altitudes up to 400 meters.
Description –
Syagrus botryophora is a helpless monoecious palm with a solitary, erect, columnar stem; this is slightly enlarged at the base, up to 18 m high with a diameter of 15-25 cm, greyish in color and marked by annular scars at the attachment of fallen leaves.
It has a rather elongated foliage due to the number of leaves present at the same time, the speed of growth and the distant internodes.
The leaves are borne by a 40-50 cm long petiole; they are pinnate, strongly arched, 2-2.8 m long, with 80-150 pairs of linear leaflets with sharp apex, regularly distributed and inserted in two planes along the rachis facing upwards to form a V, long in the median part 40-70 cm and 2.5-4 cm wide, intense green in color above, lighter below. The leaf sheath, 40-60 cm long, open on the side opposite the petiole, has fibrous margins.
The inflorescences are found on a peduncle 15-30 cm long, between the leaves (interfoliar), 30-70 cm long, initially enclosed in a particularly thick woody bract, 50-70 cm long, with a long “beak” at the apex , light gray in color and striped externally, initially yellowish which turns purple internally.
The first-order ramifications bear creamy white unisexual flowers arranged in triads (a female flower between two male ones), except in the terminal part of the rachillae (secondary ramifications of the inflorescence) where only solitary or paired male flowers are present.
The woody bract of the inflorescence turns purple internally.
The fruits are yellowish in colour, ellipsoid in shape, 3.5-4.5 cm in length and 2.5-3 cm in diameter, initially green in colour, then yellowish green when ripe, with an ovoid, smooth bony endocarp, brown in colour, 3-4 cm in length and 2-2.5 cm in diameter.
Cultivation –
Syagrus botryophora is a single-stemmed evergreen palm that is sometimes harvested from the wild for local use as a source of fuel and building materials. It is a very ornamental plant that is often grown in gardens but is threatened in its natural habitat due to the indiscriminate cutting of the stems used for rural homes.
It is an easy to grow and fast growing palm that tolerates a wide range of conditions as long as there is an adequate supply of moisture to the roots and is one of the most elegant palms but which strangely came into cultivation for ornamental purposes late and very slowly.
The established plants are drought resistant.
This plant prefers humid tropical and subtropical climates, but adapts to milder warm temperate ones, where it can withstand exceptional drops in temperature just below 0 °C. It requires full sun or light shade, particularly in the juvenile phase and has no particular needs regarding the soil, as long as it is draining and kept almost constantly humid, but it cannot tolerate the intense winds that can knock it down, therefore not suitable for locations subject to strong wind storms .
Reproduction occurs by seed, which must first be kept in water for 3 days, in draining soil kept humid at a temperature of 26-28 °C, with germination times of 2-5 months.
Customs and Traditions –
Syagrus botryophora is a palm known by various common names; among these are: pati queen palm, slender queen palm (English); cóco de pati, pati, pati bahiana, pati doce, patioba (Brazil).
The stems are used in rural constructions and the fruits are edible and appreciated by some indigenous populations, a good quality edible oil is extracted from the seeds.
An oil used as edible oil is extracted from the seeds of this plant.
Unfortunately, the rainforest habitat of this species has been significantly reduced by human activity. The species responds poorly to deforestation. Although it is often retained when forest is cleared for agriculture, its population is declining as seed production and seedling survival decline outside its forest habitat. For this reason the plant is classified as “near threatened” in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (2011).
Preparation Method –
Syagrus botryophora is a palm used and, unfortunately, exploited in its natural habitat to obtain materials for rural constructions.
The plant is also used for its edible fruits, which are appreciated by some indigenous populations, while a good quality edible oil is extracted from the seeds.
Guido Bissanti
Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– GBIF, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility.
– Useful Tropical Plants Database.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (ed.), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora d’Italia, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Advice and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore.
Photo source:
– https://inaturalist-open-data.s3.amazonaws.com/photos/297102963/original.jpeg
– https://www.gbif.org/pt/occurrence/912184594
Attention: Pharmaceutical applications and food uses are indicated for informational purposes only, they do not represent in any way a medical prescription; we therefore decline any responsibility for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.