Acrocomia emensis
Acrocomia emensis is a small, spiny palm native only to Brazil. It belongs to the palm family, Arecaceae, and occurs in the Cerrado region. The Brazilian conservation account records it in Goiás, Minas Gerais and São Paulo, and gives the local name coquinho-do-campo.[1]
Appearance
The palm has an elongated underground stem rather than a conspicuous upright trunk. Its arching leaves emerge near ground level, with narrow, stiff leaflets arranged along a spiny central axis. [1]
Branched flower clusters also emerge close to the ground. Yellowish female flowers occur near the bases of their branches, with numerous male flowers farther along. The rounded fruits measure about 1.8–2.2 centimetres across and contain a single seed inside a hard inner shell.[1]
Ecological research
A two-year study comparing three small palm species found that reproduction in A. emensis was associated with stem diameter but not with the measured light conditions. The different responses of the three palms showed why results for one species cannot simply be transferred to another.[2]
A separate 2016 genetic study examined 150 plants from three localities in Minas Gerais. It found an excess of individuals carrying matching copies of the genetic markers studied, consistent with substantial inbreeding. Most genetic variation was within the sampled populations rather than between them. The authors recommended genetic conservation work; these findings concern the sampled populations, rather than a census of the species throughout Brazil.[3]
Conservation
CNCFlora assessed the species as Vulnerable in 2022. It identified agricultural expansion, forestry and fire as threats.[1]
Botanical name
Toledo described the plant as Acanthococos emensis in 1952. Lorenzi transferred it to Acrocomia in 2010.[4] Kew currently accepts that combination.[5]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Amorim, E. and Bicalho, M. (2022). “Acrocomia emensis (Arecaceae)”. CNCFlora, Brazilian Flora Red List; indexed assessment and species profile. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ “Influence of light and plant size on the reproduction and growth of small palm tree species: Comparing two methods for measuring canopy openness” (2016); indexed abstract. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Neiva, D. S. and colleagues (2016). “Acrocomia emensis (Arecaceae) genetic structure and diversity using SSR molecular markers”. Genetics and Molecular Research 15(1), doi:10.4238/gmr.15017785; abstract. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ International Plant Names Index. Acrocomia emensis (Toledo) Lorenzi. Accessed 9 October 2026.
- ↑ Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. “Acrocomia emensis”. Plants of the World Online. Accessed 9 October 2026.