Aiphanes duquei

Aiphanes duquei is a small palm up to 5 metres tall with stems about 5 centimetres in diameter which are covered with black spines up to 15 cm long. Stems grow singly, not in clonal clusters. Individuals have between 8 and 9 leaves which consists of a leaf sheath, a petiole and a rachis. Leaf sheaths, which wrap around the stem, are 72 cm long. Petioles are yellow to brown, 4 to 25 cm long, and are covered with spines up to 10 cm long. Rachises are 91 to 110 cm , and scattered spines up to 3 cm long. Leaves each bear 23 to 35 pairs of leaflets.

Aiphanes duquei is a species of palm that is endemic to Colombia. Known from only a small area in the Cordillera Occidental, it is threatened by habitat loss and forest management practices. More