Attalea

Plant Characteristics

Cultivation

Scientific Names

Attalea >

Read about Attalea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Attalea (attalus, magnificent). Palmaceae, tribe Cocoineae. A large genus of horticulturally little-known palms, well worth more attention. Stems spineless, single, usually ringed, sometimes lacking: Lvs. usually many in a large erect tuft, pinnate, the numerous lfts. rather regularly placed, but at right angles to the rachis, those above standing erect, those beneath falling below the rachis; young Lvs. very attractive but rather stiff in their perfect erectness; petiole concave above, often very fibrous at the base: fls. monoecious or polygamo-dioecious, on a branched spadix inclosed in a rather woody spathe, at least at first, which appears among the lowest Lvs.; spadix ultimately recurving, sessile, bracted, usually yellow: fr. a drupe, sometimes quite large, frequently fibrous-coated.—Because of their slow growth the 20-25 species are not very favorably known to the dealers. All are natives of Trop. Amer. See G.C. II. 22:523. At least two of the species are of economic importance. A. Cohune is the source of a finer oil than that of the coconut, and is also used in making an intoxicating beverage. A. funifera is the source of a fine fiber much used in the making of brooms, and in rope-making. Attaleas must be grown in a tropical greenhouse, with a night temperature not less than 60°. They will do best in a mixture of loam three parts, cow- or horse-manure, one part, and one part of sand. Propagation is by seeds, which may be placed 2 inches deep in a box to be plunged out-of-doors in summer, covered with moss and watered freely. A. Guichire is a trade name; "extremely long-leaved."—A. Maripa, Mart. (A. Mariposa, Hort.). See Maximiliana. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

Read about Attalea in the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture

Maximiliana (after Maximilian Joseph, first king of Bavaria, 1756-1825, not Prince Maximilian Alexander Philipp, as said by some). Palmaceae, tribe Attaleae. Tall pinnate-leaved palms, spineless, with ringed trunks. Known also as Englerophoenix; see Maximilianea, below. Leaves with linear pinnae; in groups, the midveins and transverse nerves prominent; rachis bifacial, strongly compressed: petiole plano-convex. This genus is distinguished from Attalea as follows: petals of the male fls. minute, much shorter than the 6 exserted stamens: fr. 1-seeded: pinnae in groups instead of equidistant. From Cocos and Scheelia it differs in the above floral characters and in the plano-convex instead of concavo- convex petioles. Fr. yellow or brown, ovoid, with fibrous or fleshy pericarp and bony endocarp, the latter 3-pored at the base, acuminate at the apex.— Species 3, St. Kitts, Trinidad and S. Amer. For cult., see Palms. The above text is from the Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture. It may be out of date, but still contains valuable and interesting information which can be incorporated into the remainder of the article. Click on "Collapse" in the header to hide this text.

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References

• Standard Cyclopedia of Horticulture, by L. H. Bailey, MacMillan Co., 1963

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