Asterogyne guianensis Information
Identification:
Stem solitary, erect, 1.5-2 m tall, 3-6 cm diam., brown, not branched; internodes short; aerial roots branched, forming a basal cone, each root 38-90 cm long, 0.2-0.3 cm diam., yellowish brown; pneumatodes white, conical, to 0.2 cm long. Leaves 15-18, the older ones not persistent; sheath 7 x 4-5 cm, brown; petiole 53-60 x 0.8-1 cm, channeled adaxially, rounded abaxially, green, the tomentum reddish brown; midvein 80-90 x 0.5 cm, green, the indumentum same as on petiole, channeled adaxially,
rounded abaxially; blade 1-1.1 x 0.3-0.4 m, deeply bifid at apex for ca. 35 cm; primary veins 29 per side, emerging at 20-30 angle at midvein, prominent on abaxial side, almost yellow when dry, the lepidote tomentum slightly reddish brown. Inflorescence spicate; peduncle 40-55 cm long,
0.4-0.5 cm diam., dorsiventrally compressed, the tomentum brown to whitish;
prophyll 20 cm long, 1.5 cm diam., membranous, green, inserted at base of peduncle; peduncular bract 1, membranous, green, 40-42 x 1.3-1.5 cm, inserted 1 cm above the base of the peduncle; inflorescence rachis 20-30 cm long, 0.9-1.5 cm diam., terete, pale green at anthesis, reddish
brown in fruit, the tomentum whitish to brownish, the sterile apex acute, 1-2 mm long; flower pits spirally arranged, 3-5 mm apart from each other, covered with an inflexed lower lip, 3-4 x 2-3 mm. Staminate flowers obovoid, 9-10 mm long, 3-4 mm diam., white at anthesis, the pedicel to 1-2
mm long; sepals oblong, 9-9.2 x 2-3 mm; petals oblong-obovate, 8 x 2.5-3 mm; stamens 25-27; filaments united into a tube up to 4-5 mm long, the free parts 2.5-3 mm long, 1 mm diam., white; connective 0.8 mm long; thecae 1.2-1.5 mm long; pistillode 1-2 mm long. Pistillate flowers oblong in bud, 5 mm long, 2.5-3 mm diam., the pedicel to 1 mm long; sepals oblong-obovoid, 4-5 x 1 mm; petals oblong-obovoid, 4 x 1.4-1.6 mm; ovary 3 mm long, 2 mm diam.; style 3 mm long; stigmatic branches 1 mm long; staminodial tube 4 mm long, the lobes 20-22, 1-1.5 mm long. Fruit narrowly
ellipsoid, strongly keeled apically, 2.5 cm long, 1.5 cm diam.; epicarp garnet red and shiny at maturity; seed narrowly ellipsoid, 2 cm long, 0.8 cm diam.
Work in progress
Species Information currently being revised!
Distribution:
Native to, French Guyana
Known only from two collections of eastern French Guiana, remarkably more than 200 km from each other. May occur also in northern Brazil.
Location: French Guiana (2.405059°N, -53.092804°E)