Arecaceae FAMILY Endangered

Aiphanes grandis

Edibility

2/5

Medicinal

0/5

Safety & Hazards

None known

Botanical Description

Aiphanes grandis is a solitary-stemmed evergreen palm tree growing up to 20 metres tall. The unbranched stem can be 10 - 20cm in diameter, topped with a crown of leaves that can each be up to 250cm long. Both the stem and the leaves are fiercely armed with long, black spines[ 764 Title IUCN Spec ies Survival Commission - Palm Specialist Group Publication Species Fact Sheets Author Website http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/who_we_are/ssc_specialist_groups_and_red_list_authorities_directory/plants/palm_sg/psg_sp_index.cfm#Geonoma_epetiolata_block Publisher IUCN Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fairly comprehensive fact sheets on some 28 species of Palms that are under threat in the wild. They can be downloaded from the Internet. ]. The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a food. Endemic to Ecuador, this species is only known from four isolated subpopulations in the Andes. It is under threat from habitat destruction and its population is decreasing. The plant is classified as 'Endangered' in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species(2011)[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. ].

Habitat & Origin

Origintropical

Native RangeS. America - Ecuador.

HabitatForests and cloud forests in the Andes at elevations from 1,000 - 3,000 metres[ 338 Title IUCN Red List of Threatened Species Publication Author Website http://www.iucnredlist.org/ Publisher Year 0 ISBN Description A list of plants under threat and facing possible extinction, usually with brief details of the threats and information on habitat. , 764 Title IUCN Spec ies Survival Commission - Palm Specialist Group Publication Species Fact Sheets Author Website http://www.iucn.org/about/work/programmes/species/who_we_are/ssc_specialist_groups_and_red_list_authorities_directory/plants/palm_sg/psg_sp_index.cfm#Geonoma_epetiolata_block Publisher IUCN Year 0 ISBN Description A series of fairly comprehensive fact sheets on some 28 species of Palms that are under threat in the wild. They can be downloaded from the Internet. ].