Longitudinal section through a palm fruit and seed. The endosperm is homogeneous. The embryo is tiny, like a grain of rice.

Longitudinal section through a palm fruit and seed. The endosperm is ruminate (intruded by the seed coat). The embryo is tiny, like a grain of rice.

Last month, I posted on homogeneous (1st photo, Veitchia arecina) & ruminate (2nd photo, Adonidia merrillii) endosperm, descriptors that apply only to albuminous seeds, i.e., those with endosperm as the food reserve. This week, I’m looking at other seed features. #seed #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

A fan palm on the edge of the forest with deeply segmented leaves and inflorescences that tower 2 meters above the foliage.

I was thrilled to see the extraordinarily long inflorescences on Licuala bachmaensis in Mỹ Sơn Sanctuary, near Da Nang, and in the surrounding forest. It is endemic to Vietnam. #Arecaceae #IPSinVietnam #Botany 🌾🧪

A clustering, shrubby palm with palmate leaves.

Chuniophoenix suoitienensis was an exciting find below Ban Co Peak, Son Tra Peninsula near Da Nang, Vietnam. It’s a beautiful palm. 😍🌴 #Arecaceae #IPSinVietnam #Botany 🌾🧪

A climbing pinnate palm, a rattan, with foliar climbing organs as described in the post.

Plectocomia elongata is my new favorite rattan palm. It climbs into the canopy using long cirri, which are the extensions of the leaf rachises with grappling hook spines. Bach Ma National Park, Vietnam. #Arecaceae #IPSinVietnam #Botany 🌾🧪

Fan palm with wedge-shaped segments.

New leaves that are red mottled with pink.

A bipinnately compound leaf whose leaflets are larger and broader at the tips of the rachises and smaller at the bases.

Some more fabulous plants from Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. 1. Lanonia centralis #Arecaceae 2. Smilax sp. #Smilacaceae 3. Archidendron clypearia #Fabaceae #IPSinVietnam #Vietnam #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Clustering Palm with wide leaflets.

Clustering Palm with narrow leaflets.

Arenga caudata is highly variable. Some have wide segments; some have narrow segments. Some have undivided leaves. These were near Paradise Cave, Phong Nha–Ke Bang National Park, Vietnam. #Arecaceae #IPSinVietnam #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Small fan palm with grouped segments.

Super excited to see Lanonia calciphila in Cuc Phuong National Park, Vietnam. This genus was described in 2011. It was confused with Licuala. #Arecaceae #IPSinVietnam
#Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a page of the article showing a plate of four half-tone photos of transverse sections of palm seeds. The seeds are all of one species, but they vary from having homogeneous endosperm to deeply ruminate endosperm.

Want to read more about palms that are variable in endosperm condition, homogeneous vs. ruminate? There is an old publication on the topic: Zona, S. 2003. Endosperm condition and the paradox of Ptychococcus paradoxus. Telopea 10: 179–185. #Arecaceae #seed #endosperm #ruminate #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of the dry, brown fruit of Nypa, along with one fruit that has been cut longitudinally to show the ruminate endosperm and the seedling (Nypa is viviparous). Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

When I used a band saw to cut Nypa fruticans seeds in half, I was surprised to find ruminate endosperm. The literature said this palm has homogeneous endosperm. It turns out, it has both. Endosperm condition can vary within a species. #Arecaceae #seed #endosperm #ruminate #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of 3 excavated seedlings of a palm. The attached seed has been sliced open to show the white endosperm and dark ruminations. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

What is the function of ruminate endosperm? How did it evolve? Nobody knows for sure. One hypothesis: The ruminations are distasteful to seed-boring beetles & prevent them from riddling the seed. Maybe.🤷‍♂️ 📷: Adonidia merrillii. #beetles #Arecaceae #seed #endosperm #ruminate #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of a bowl of thinly sliced dried seeds of betelnut. The ruminations are clearly visible and thoroughly penetrate the endosperm. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Here's another ruminate endosperm in commerce: betelnut (Areca catechu). In S Asia & the western Pacific, betelnut is a popular masticant (with addictive alkaloids & links to oral & esophageal cancers ☠️). These are sliced seeds that a student brought to class. #ruminate #Arecaceae #Botany
2/2

Photo of two fruits and one seed cut in transverse section. The fruits are covered with shiny, chestnut brown scales. The seed shows that narrow, finger-like streaks of the seed coat penetrate the endosperm. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

As extraordinary & beautiful as the fruits of Raphia taedigera are, the endosperm ruminations are just as unusual: They are finger-like penetrations, quite unlike what I’ve seen in other palms. #Arecaceae #seed #endosperm #ruminate #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of a longitudinal section through an ellipsoidal drupe. The seed takes up most of the space in the fruit. The endosperm is penetrated about halfway to the center by ingrowths of the seed coat. The embryo is at the base (stem end) of the seed. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Seeds of some species, like peanuts, are mostly embryo (exalbuminous); others are mostly endosperm (albuminous). Adonidia merrillii, an albuminous species, has a tiny bullet-shaped embryo & endosperm penetrated by ingrowths of the seed coat. #seed #ruminate. #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Close-up photo of a transverse section of a globose seed of a palm. The endosperm is deeply and thoroughly shot through with ingrowths of the seed coat. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Ruminate describes the condition of the endosperm (seed storage tissue) when it is penetrated or invaginated by the seed coat. This photo of a Prestoea simplicifolia seed (about 1 cm in diameter) cut in half shows how the brown seed coat penetrates the endosperm. #Arecaceae #ruminate
2/2

Had to look this up because I didn't know the common name, but yes, they are super spiny.
This is Astrocaryum chambira, a close cousin. #Arecaceae #palm #chunga #Pluribus

Close-up photo of the petioles of a palm. The spines are present on the edges of the petioles. The remnants of the leaf lamina are still clinging to some spines.

The spines on Elaeis guineensis (African oil palm) petioles are the hardened midveins that remain after the lowermost leaflets senesce. Diabolical! 📷: Diane Bricmont CCBYNC4 #Arecaceae #spine #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

🚀 BlueSky trending hashtags (15m):

#booksky #art #photography #birds #furryart #digitalart #filmsky #gamedev #academicsky #furry #publishing #nature #scicomm #arecaceae #botany

Photo of the cone of stilt roots on a palm. The stilt roots are covered with whit. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Stilt roots of the palm Socratea exorrhiza have little pointy rootlets. These rootlets grow out like regular roots, but they stop growing & harden off to become armaments. From what do they defend the palm? What large herbivore would want to eat hard, woody roots? #root #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of the trunk of the palm showing numerous, needle-like root spines pointing slightly downward. Photo by Scott Zona CC BY-NC 2.0.

Many plants defend themselves with physical defenses. Spikey armaments, at various scales, are the subject of this week’s posts. Let’s start with root spines: Adventitious roots that harden & become sharp. Cryosophilla palms do it best. 📷: Cryosophila warscewiczii #root #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of the crown of a palm with multiple inflorescences/infructescences at each node. The smaller inflorescences are still enclosed by bracts. The largest are fully expanded and bearing fruits.

In unbranched palms, the axillary buds are inflorescences. A few palms, like this Wettinia praemorsa, make serial inflorescences in each axil, but the buds are collateral (side by side), not superposed. Very unusual. 📷: ProAves Colombia CCBYNCSA2. #Arecaceae #buds #Botany #TropicalBotany 🌾🧪🌱

Sabal palmetto seeds in animal dung are ready to germinate. Photo by Scott Zona CCBYNC2.

Seed dispersal by animals swallowing the seeds is endozoochory. It’s fraught with difficulty. 1. Animals need to find the fruits. 2. Fruits should be taken only when ripe. 3. Taken only by the disperser (not by a seed predator). The results are worth the effort. #dispersal #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

People walking among very tall pinnate palms with white trunks.

Ceroxylon quindiuense is such a magnificent sight! Walking among them with my amigos from the International Palm Society was such a treat. #Arecaceae #TropicalBotany #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Habit of Phoenix roxburghii.

#NewSpecies!
Phoenix roxburghii
A newly discovered palmtree from #india!

Treatment: treatment.plazi.org/id/03E987ED-...
Publication: doi.org/10.11646/phy...
#Phytotaxa #PhoenixRoxburghii

#FAIRdata
#OA #taxonomy #nature #biodiversity #botany #wildflowers #flowers #plants #arecaceae #palms #palmtree

Small palms on the forest floor.

Lepidocaryum tenue var. tenue is a charmer. Its leaves are palmate, but they look almost pinnate. It is one of the most abundant understory palms in this part of Peru. Another fascinating palm seen with the International Palm Society. #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Large, fan-leaf, single stem palm on the bank of the Rio Sucusari.

I’m in Peru with the International Palm Society, so of course we’re seeing amazing palms. My favorite might be the aguaje, Mauritia flexuosa. Superbly beautiful! #Arecaceae #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

Photo of several trunks and canopies of a multi-stemmed palm. The leaves are arching and pinnately compound. A few yellow inflorescences are visible below the leaves. Photo by Scott Zona CCBYNC2.

Chrysalidocarpus lutescens is a fast-growing, clustering palm. It would be great as a source of hearts-of-palm (“palm cabbage”), EXCEPT the growing point (the “heart”) is loaded with cyanogenic glycosides + enzyme. Do not eat it! ☠️ #HCN #Arecaceae #TropicalBotany #Botany 🌾🧪🌱

A tall palm tree against a pale sky

By: jo rhn

unsplash.com/photos/a-tall-palm-tree-...

🌎 Cala d’Or, Spanien
📸 SONY, ZV-E10
35.0mm ƒ/5.6
1/50s
ISO 100

#plant #leaf #palmTree #arecaceae #spanien

Palm tree reaches for the bright, blue sky.

By: Alef Morais

unsplash.com/photos/palm-tree-reaches...

📸 Canon, EOS R8
16.0mm ƒ/9.0
1/800s
ISO 500

#sunlight #palm #perspective #powerPole #summer #palmTree #outdoors #arecaceae

#Arecaceae (/ˌærəˈkeɪsi.iː, -ˌaɪ/) are a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like

#Arecaceae (/ˌærəˈkeɪsi.iː, -ˌaɪ/) are a family of perennial, flowering plants in the monocot order Arecales. Their growth form can be climbers, shrubs, tree-like

Palm trees reach towards a bright blue sky.

By: cinematicbyfuji

unsplash.com/photos/palm-trees-reach-...

🌎 Málaga, Spain
📸 FUJIFILM, X-T30 II
23.0mm ƒ/2.8
1/2500s
ISO 500

#animal #summer #bird #scenery #spain #palmTree #outdoors #vegetation #arecaceae